The Week Before the Test : GoodBye "OLD SAT"

The last edition of the "Old SAT" is this Saturday, the New SAT is approaching, and test prep is on everyone's mind. Are you ready?

That being the case, we wanted to send along a few helpful and fun pieces of information in this article to get you squared away.

So far, we've worked on the "tangible" elements of your test prep - grammar facts, comprehension tricks, the math rules and strategies, and etc. necessary for top scores. But in this final week, you have a bigger job - making sure that your body and mind are fully ready for test day. The "intangibles" are equally as important. Your level of rest, relaxation, nutritional balance are all important when it comes to your overall test day performance.

This is why we never suggest that student pull "all-nighters" the week of his or her test. We have seen a student score 800 points lower than his predicted SAT score. But after getting plenty of sleep a month later, he scored a near perfect SAT score. 

We will show you exactly how to get your brain and body ready for the test - we even provided sessions on this throughout the year. Follow all the steps and you'll magnify your intelligence, memory, alertness, reasoning, reading speed, and awareness. We promise that it'll be worth your time!

A Week Before Your Test

Focus on SLEEP, NUTRITION and HYDRATION. Your body and mind needs to be optimally fueled and rested. 

1. Once you figure out where your SAT is, how to get there, when you need to be there and what time it starts, you should begin waking up at least two hours before the time of your test every morning. Your brain needs to transition from sleep to full awareness, and you want to give yourself time to snap out of it.

We recommend you get at least 8 hours of sleep every single night. Sleep is the biggest factor in your overall mental capacity. Learn to schedule your homework, school work, social obligations in advance.

Take a full-length, timed, graded practice test the weekend before your test day. Take away phones, TV, computers, etc. You need the absolute silence.

2. Cut the junk food. Eat plenty of healthy food on a regular basis. Focus on getting healthy proteins, fats, fiber, vitamins, and mineral at every single meal. Examples of the good stuff that keeps your body running at full capacity are lean meats, fruits vegetables, eggs, nuts, lean dairy and such.

Don't skip breakfast, don't skip lunch. Stick to a regular fueling schedule. Remember, your body enjoys cycles, so stick with a routine, especially for the whole week and you will be much better off on test day.

3. Hydration is important for many reasons. Drink more water than you normally do.

First, water will keep you from getting sick, and it will enhance your mental clarity. You want your bodily functions to be well maintained and if you are dehydrated, there are a list of physiological effects that will make your body and mind fall apart.

Try to limit your stress the week of your test. So sleep, eat well and hydrate.

We hope this helps. Good luck on your test this week.
​Stay tuned for our articles about the New SAT.