General Advice

• Sleep. Get a good night's rest.
• Diet. Eat breakfast or lunch. This may help calm your nervous stomach and give you energy. Avoid greasy or acidic foods, and avoid overeating. Avoid caffeine pills.
• Exercise. Nothing reduces stress more than exercise. An hour or two before an examination, stop studying and go workout. Swimming, jogging, cycling, aerobics.

Before the Examination

• Allow yourself enough time to get to the test without hurrying.
• Don't swap questions at the door. Hearing anything you don't know may weaken your confidence and send you into a state of anxiety.
• Leave your books at home. Flipping pages at the last minute may only upset you. If you must take something, take a brief outline that you know well.

During the Examination

• Take a watch with you, as well as extra pencils, scantron sheets, and blue books.
• Answer the easy questions first. This will relax you and help build your confidence, plus give you some assured points.
• Sit apart from your classmates to reduce being distracted by their movements.
• Don't panic if others are writing and you aren't. Your thinking may be more profitable than their writing.
• Don't be upset if others finish their tests before you do. Use as much time as you are allowed. Students who leave early don't always get the highest grades.
• If you still feel nervous during the test, try this: inhale deeply, close your eyes, hold, than exhale slowly. Repeat as needed.

Information contained on this page (and all other SAS pages) is subject to change.
Last Updated October 7, 1996.