February test

[Adam Tyson]

Start with taking care of yourself, mentally and physically. Remind yourself that you have already demonstrated an ability to do well on this test - you've done it before, and more than once, so it wasn't a fluke. Believe in yourself and know that this is just a phase that will pass if you let it. Yes, it sounds like you are a bit burned out, so you need to step back and heal from that. Study, yes, but not to the extreme.

Get more and better sleep. Eat good food, and drink plenty of water. Get some exercise. Enjoy life! Are you a football fan? By all means, watch the games this weekend! (feel free to root for my Panthers.) Watch a movie, take a nap, go bowling, get a massage or a mani/pedi, whatever, and don't think so much about the test.

There is still time for you to do some of what those articles suggest - after doing some homework, take time to think about why you chose a particular answer (right or wrong), what it was about other answers that either attracted you or confused you. Look for patterns, key words and ideas, so that you might recognize them again when you see them (and you will see them again - the test authors tend to use the same basic concepts and structures over and over again). Don't re-do the questions, but rather study them and learn from them. Treat it as something of a philosophical and academic exercise, don't build it up in your mind as a problem that needs to be solved, because people who dwell on the problem tend to see it getting bigger and bigger until it's too much to handle.

One more thing that I like to suggest, and that is to change something about the way you are studying. Maybe it's location - if you always work at the library, get out and go to a coffee shop or at your parents' kitchen table. Try buying a new box of pencils and a new sharpener. Study in different clothes (like on the couch in a bathrobe with a steaming cup of caffeine free tea). Do the questions in one section in reverse order - this forces your brain to climb out of its old rut and work a little more creatively. Don't worry if any of this makes things (temporarily) worse, either - it's about shaking things up. Plateaus can be about falling into a routine, so break the routine.

I hope some of this helps! As we Panthers fans like to say, "Keep Pounding" (but not too hard, please).