Saturday A.M.
On Saturday morning, hopefully, you'll wake up dewy and refreshed from a solid night of sleep. Or possibly, you'll wake up grumpy and irritated that you're seeing the wrong side of noon on a Saturday. But either way, the test isn't going to wait, so it's time to rise and shine. On Saturday morning, you're going to get dressed, get fueled and get going. Here's your plan of attack:
Get dressed: wear comfortable clothes. The SAT is not a fashion show, so don't wear anything that might distract you from the test. Avoid clothes that are tight, scratchy or annoying. Layers are a good bet, in case the room is too hot or too cold. If you have long hair, tie it back away from your face.
Get fueled: eat breakfast. You might be tempted to skip breakfast so you can sleep a little more - don't! The last thing you want is to get distracted from the test because you're hungry or have your concentration crash halfway through the test because your blood sugar is low. Eat a real breakfast and avoid anything with sugar listed as the first ingredient. Eggs, oatmeal, yogurt with fruit, granola or toast with peanut butter will keep you going a lot longer than sugary cereal. Also, drink some water to make sure you're hydrated going in.
A word about caffeine: the rule of thumb on test day is to do whatever you normally do. If you always have coffee, have your coffee. But if you never have coffee, now is not the time to drink the whole pot. And don't even think of trying energy drinks or caffeine pills for the first time on test day - bad idea!
Get going: leave on time. After breakfast, you'll be all set to grab your bag and go since you did yourself a favor last night and packed everything up in advance. Aren't you so competent? Hang on to that feeling of being in charge and bring it with you into the test room.
By 7:45, you should be at the test center. You'll have to check in with your admissions ticket and ID before you get to the test room. Once you're seated, take a few minutes to roll your shoulders, stretch and take deep breaths. Now's the time to get your head in the game, put everything else out of your mind and focus on the test.
Testing Tips
At 8:00, the test starts! Now you see the advantage of all your careful preparation: you're well fed, well rested and ready to tackle the SAT. Here are just a few more tips to help you manage your nerves and conserve energy, so you can stay strong all the way through the test:
Manage anxiety productively. It's normal to feel nervous or jittery about the SAT. But if you start feeling so nervous that you can't concentrate, try looking up at the clock and counting along with the second hand for 30 seconds or so. This helps you break out of the anxiety and calm down by focusing on something rhythmic and concrete.
It's a trick to use judiciously (since it does take 30 seconds of your time), but if that 30 seconds buys you the next 5 minutes of solid work, it's a good bargain. You can also ask to go to the bathroom if you need to, but the clock won't stop for you, so it's best to avoid this if you can.
It also helps to remind yourself that the very worst thing that can possibly happen as a result of this test is that you'll have to take the test again. And that stinks, but it's not the end of the world. Your future will not be ruined by one bad SAT score.
Use your breaks wisely. Stand up, shake out your legs, stretch and get a drink of water. It'll help clear your head and keep your energy up, so you don't crash in the last part of the test.