Do not wait until later or until the last minute to take a practice test
The best way to prepare for the actual test is to take practice tests and take them much ahead of the exams. This will ensure that you know your weak areas, and become familiar with the pattern and format of the exam. You will also become comfortable with the tests and this confidence will come in useful when it really counts. Practice will help you develop a perfect attitude towards taking the test and improve your confidence levels tremendously because with the practice the questions and the answers would have become familiar; thereby ensuring you relax and perform better.
Ensure you take timed practice tests
Take timed tests so that you can improve on the timing before the actual examination. If you find that you are taking more time to finish one section of the paper this would be an indication of where you need to work faster and maybe harder. The more questions you are able to answer in a given time the better it is for you and this improves your chances of succeeding in the test. Your concentration will improve and you will answer the question efficiently and quickly. Ensure you use a stopwatch or a timer.
Ensure that you duplicate the test environment
Try to ensure that you take your practice tests in a quiet room exactly the way you envisage the actual examination hall to be. No distractions, no cell phone buzzing, no iPod, no stereo, and no TV. Sit at a table or desk and ape the actual test environment as much as possible.
Repeat the Tests at least twice
Make sure you take the tests at least twice and providing a gap of a few weeks between each test.
Commit to memory the test format and structure
Ensure that you are acquainted with the test format and structure since having knowledge of what’s expected of you is as important as the timing. This would help you know what material is covered as well under each section and enable you to understand the way the questions are worded.
Think like an examiner
Become acquainted with the variations in the questions and the manner in which they are expressed, phrased, worded or presented. Also, learn to think like the examiner. Try and find out what he / she is asking and also understand the question from the examiner’s point of view.
Do not resort to cramming
There are years of subject material that needs to be covered and cramming is not going to work. All the subject matter having to be studied in a few weeks will be next to impossible. Reviewing the subjects on the other hand would be a distinct possibility. This is where e-tutoring for specific subjects can come in useful and help you deal with the specific subject in the manner and approach given by the tutor. While studying instead of cramming, note those topics / questions that you don’t understand. Creating and keeping such a list saves you valuable time as you go closer to the test date. Do get help in the areas where you are facing trouble.
Remember that practice makes perfect
By writing out what you are unsure of you will increase the capacity of your brain to store that information and this will help at the time of the exam. Tackle the most difficult first and get help from an E-tutor wherever it’s needed.
You can ace the SSAT with expert guidance from an e-tutor. Hope these tips have given you an advantage while preparing for the exam.