Top Secret Tutor Tips

Elysia Hou, Premium Tutor

“Don’t put so much pressure on the night before the exam trying to go through math drills or reading passage after passage. Instead, try to make that night a very relaxing evening with a good book and warm pajamas or, as I would like to do before my own exams, sip on some calming chamomile tea. Anything that can de-stress you before your Saturday morning performance is a great alternative to tirelessly cramming more information into your head. Because if you’re working through problems and you discover that you didn’t do as well on your timing or discover there are still vocabulary words in the Critical Reading sections that you haven’t memorized, it tends to have a negative effect on your mental state and discourages you for the actual test. Try spending Monday through Thursday working through all the last minute problems you wanted to work on. Finally for Friday, make that a day of reward. It’s okay to do some light studying, but make sure you get plenty of rest. Wake up at least two hours early so you’re fully awake by the time the exam starts and enjoy a light breakfast in the morning. Arrive a few minutes early to the test location and go over briefly some simple notes you wrote to remind you for the exam. Also, don’t forget to bring a sugary snack so at the midway point if you’re feeling like you have that sluggish, “2:30” feeling just chew on a chocolate bar or take a bite of a flaky pastry to keep your energy going for a couple hours longer. I love asking my students to follow this practice. Resting right before the big day I believe helps get them into a good rhythm for the test.”