It's the night before your SAT and you want to prepare the best you can, right? This test determines where you go to college and where you go to college potentially determines your future, so you need to do well, right? Right! Well here are a few things you should and shouldn't do the night before your test...
"Do's"
1. Get 8 Hours of Sleep
While the sleep you get the night before is important, the sleep you get the night before that is also important. You want to avoid any grogginess on the test day so your mind can work up to its full potential.
2. Look Up How to Get to Your Test Center
Nothing is worst then getting lost on your way to the test. For many test centers, they won't let you in past a certain time, regardless of whether or not the test has started. My advice is figure out where you are going and the directions on how you are getting there so you do not risk missing your test.
3. Set More Than One Alarm
I take back what I said earlier, the one thing worse than getting lost on test day would be sleeping through your alarm. The stress you will feel when you wake up and realize you've missed your test is not something you want to deal with. Set your alarm, your parents' alarm, your sisters alarm, your neighbors' alarm (ha ha just kidding).
4. Have Everything You Need Ready to Go
You do not want to be as sad as this puppy the morning of your test! Go ahead and put everything you need in one spot so you are not running around your house like a crazy person looking for it in the morning.
5. Eat Lots of Carbs
If you play any sports you know it's essential that you load up on carbs the night before your game/race in order to do well; it's kind of the same thing for a big test like this. Your brain is going to be going non-stop for four to five hours, it needs something to give it energy, and that's what carbs does. You will not do awful if you opt to eat something other than carbs, but it is definitely recommended to keep that energy level up.
"Dont's"
1. Try to Cram
If you wait until the night before the test to start studying, you are too late. By that point, you either know it or you don't. Trying to cram a bunch of information into your head will only confuse you and stress you out.
2. Change Your Routine
If you do not typically drink coffee in the mornings, do not start the morning of your test. If you do not usually take sleeping medicine, do not take it the night before your test, hoping to get better sleep. Try these things out any other night than the one before test day. You have no idea how it will effect you, and you don't want to take any risks.
3. Stay Up Late Watching Netflix
Staying up until two in the morning watching Netflix is okay for any night except the one before your SAT. Not only will you be exhausted the next day because of how late you stayed up, but the little sleep you do get will be very restless because of all the blue light you've been staring at.
4. Worry!
There is no reason to worry! Don't make the SAT a bigger deal than it is, after all its just a test. If you get a high score, great, if you don't, you can take it again. Just relax and try your best, that's all you can do!
