At this point in the year, many students are rejoicing that school’s going to be out soon for the Christmas break. But for juniors and seniors preparing to take the ACT or SAT, this vacation can break your focus.
In order to stay on track and succeed on your upcoming test, you’ll need to do a few test preparation exercises during your holidays. Follow these suggestions and you won’t find yourself floundering when you’re sitting down to your test in January or February.
- Pay attention to the number of weeks left.
Make sure you know when your test date is, and start counting down the weeks. This helps you understand how much time is passing instead of just letting the days fly by.
If needed, you can physically cross out each day on a calendar so you have a better idea of how much time’s left. For some students, this could just cause more stress, so only do it if you know it’ll help you stay focused. - Keep studying.
It’s of course important to use your holiday vacations to rest and relax so your brain’s ready to go when school starts again. However, human brains need repetition to maintain the knowledge they take in.
As much as studying for your test over the holidays seems lame, it’s in your best interest to do so if you don’t want to forget some of the information you learned. You don’t have to spend as much time studying as you normally do; a light refresher every day will keep your brain in test preparation mode. You can even get relatives to help you out, if you want! - Take care of yourself.
It’s nearly impossible to avoid all the food and treats placed before you during the holidays. There’s meat spiced to perfection, delicious desserts full of flavor, and warm drinks to end a long day.
But all those calories add up, and if you don’t exercise to maintain your body weight, you’ll start to feel sluggish not just physically but also mentally. Loads of scientific research points out the value of exercise to help your brain stay alert, so don’t ignore that during the holidays if you hope to do well on your test come January or February.
Don’t think you have to spend your holidays dedicated to preparing for your ACT or SAT. There are definitely benefits to resting your brain for some of this time, but you’ll always have next year to fully relax. The ACT or SAT only comes once in your life – focus and do well!
