Managing stress during assessment time...

Test time is always stressful for students (and of course parents, too). Here are some tips that will help students and parents manage stress in the days leading up to and during the assessment. 

​1. Manage your study time wisely. If you feel exhausted, take a break. Frustration is detrimental to learning. 
2. On the day of your assessment, arrive early. Your confidence will increase if you give yourself time to settle in and relax before the test. Anxiety leads to memory loss. Eat a healthy dinner the night before, don't sleep too late, and eat breakfast the day of your test. 
3. Read test instructions carefully and look over the test. Test instructions and questions often offer valuable information. Always read all instructions carefully and make sure that you didn't miss any information. Look over the test before you begin to have an idea what you will be doing. 
4. Look for cues. Pay attention to grammatical similarities between the question being asked and the answers. If an answer seems correct but doesn't match grammatically with the question, then it probably isn't the correct answer. 
5. Answer all of the questions. You won't get any marks if you leave an answer blank, but most of the time you can get partial marks even if your answer is not the correct one. Never leave answers blank!
6. Maintain a positive attitude. Do not lose confidence or waste time if you encounter confusing or difficult questions. Answer the questions you know first. 

It takes time to practice and develop test-taking skills. To determine whether your test taking strategies are working, take time to evaluate your performance after each test, and be sure to take note of where you're struggling. Are you struggling with writing, comprehenssion, or multiple choice questions? If you're struggling, then arrange to meet with your teacher to deterine what you can do to improve. 

Keep up the hard work! You can do it! 

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