4 Common Test-Day Mistakes To Avoid

It’s test day! After all of your preparation and practice, you’re finally here—your hard work is about to pay off.

But, you don’t want to make an easily-preventable error on test day. Here’s a list of common mistakes that you should be sure to avoid:

1. Forgetting your supplies

For both the ISEE and the SSAT, make sure you have at least three #2 pencils and a good eraser to use during the test. Be sure to have a water bottle, and a snack in a clear plastic bag. It’s a long test, so you’ll want to be hydrated and energized. On that note, don’t forget to sleep well the night before, and to eat a healthy breakfast in the morning!

2. Losing track of time

In the pressure of test day, it can be easy to lose track of time. Make sure to follow your time management strategy: easy questions first, then hard questions. Use the wall clock to keep track of the remaining time on each section.

3. Misreading directions

Make sure that you read the directions carefully for each section, and for each question. Don’t assume that you know all the question types already—make sure that you know exactly what each question is asking you to do.

4. Not showing your work

Don’t forget to use your scratch paper! For the essay, creating an outline before you start writing will help you organize your thoughts and craft a well-structured essay. For math problems, it’s important to show your work so that you don’t arrive at the wrong answer. Writing down as much of your process as possible will help you to succeed on each of the sections.