Increasing Your Scores

It’s your worst nightmare. You wake up one morning to realize you forgot to set your alarm. In a panic, you fall over rushing to get dressed and speed like a maniac to school. Panting and out of breath, you scramble to your unwelcoming classroom seat, and once you think the worst is over, you look up to realize it’s SAT day and you haven’t even begun to study. Relax, it’s only that—a nightmare.

Whether you plan to take the SAT, GMAT or any other standardized exam, test anxiety can be a killer. If you allow yourself adequate time to fully prepare for the test, however, you can overcome this apprehension and focus on increasing your scores in the process. There are countless resources available designed to help test takers study for these exams. Prep courses, training software, practice tests and timers are only a few examples of the endless list of study aids.

For students who have a severe case of test anxiety or need professional help in learning test-taking strategies, look into taking a prep course. Trained experts coach these courses, which can be truly beneficial for individuals who have a hard time knowing where to begin studying for an exam and need personal guidance in their preparation. Reputable companies hosting a variety of prep courses include The Princeton Review, Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions and Advantage Education.

If you want to clearly identify your weaknesses to demonstrate where you need improvement, take a practice test. Then take another one. And another one and another one. Practice exams are an ideal way to increase your scores. It’s like rehearsing for the big one; you can’t go wrong taking a practice test. You can find these exams almost anywhere. Check out your local bookstore for informative prep books that will guide you through whatever exam you’re taking—practice tests will most likely be included in these books. You can also search on Google by typing in “(Test name) practice test.” Links upon links will be returned with many tests available. Some of these tests will be free, while some may be very expensive. Just make sure you check out the source before you spend too much money on a so-called practice test from an unreputable Web site. Sometimes you will also receive practice test materials from the testing service when you register for the test. Get your hands on any practice test you can. What have you got to lose?

Know the test format before test day. This alone will help in increasing your scores by saving you time and confusion. You can look online or in practice materials given to you by the testing service or prep courses for information about what skills will be tested, what order the sections will be in, test directions, the number of questions, time allotted to each section and even how the scoring works. By simply becoming familiar with the format of the test, you will feel much more comfortable on actual test day.

Having good time management is also a key component to increasing your scores. Most of these exams, if not all of them, determine admission into a specific program. Therefore, how you prepare yourself and prioritize your time could make or break your chances. Good time management is crucial to getting that acceptance letter.

Last, but not least, maintain a positive attitude. Hold your head high and let your determination lead the way while preparing yourself for the exam. Optimism equals success. How could anyone who doesn’t believe in themselves do well on anything? Start yourself on a positive track today. Surround yourself with encouraging thoughts and people. Set goals and reach them. You can increase your scores, and you will increase your scores. Believe in yourself.

“Optimism is the one quality more associated with success and happiness than any other.” ~ Brian Tracy, Personal and Business Success Speaker

“A pessimist sees only the dark side of the clouds, and mopes; a philosopher sees both sides, and shrugs; an optimist doesn't see the clouds at all-- he's walking on them.” ~ Leonard Louis Levinson