Worried about that big test coming up soon? Got finals, the SAT or even the GMAT causing your stress levels to rise and your heart to beat faster and faster every day? Here are some tips to ensure you prepare the best way possible so that you can take your test with your head high, confident of your cognitive abilities.

Don’t cram all of your studying in the day before, or even two days before. Studies show that it is best to study little by little, every night for at least a few days. This will help you remember things more easily and ensures that you give yourself ample time to prepare for every question a test may throw at you. Cramming it all in the night before will only make it more difficult to retain all of the information and may also cause you to lose sleep and raise stress levels as you rush to study everything hours before the start of your exam.

Get a good night’s sleep the day before your test. Studies prove that much of the memory retention you have occurs during sleep, so in order for you to benefit most from your studying you have to sleep so that the information can soak into your mind. A good nights rest will always leave you feeling refreshed, energized and sharp in the morning: perfect test taking mode. You should also be sure to eat a big breakfast, as this will help keep you focused on the task at hand instead of allowing your mind to wander while your test sits idly in front of you, the clock ticking away…

During the test, be sure to pace yourself accordingly. Chances are you have a limited amount of time to test, so you should be sure to skip over the questions that initially give you trouble so you are sure to make it to all of the problems you know with confidence.

Remember to relax in the days leading up to the test as well. The second you start to freak out over the test is the second you start to lose focus and concentration, and eventually it may cause you to lose points. If you stay optimistic about things and remain focused and poised, you stand a much better chance of studying efficiently and effectively. Relaxing before a test will also set your mind at ease—you need to be sure that you remain grounded when the time comes so that you can delve into the depths of your memory and pull out the answer that you know is lurking in there somewhere.

From a very young age it is so important to have a goal in mind whether it is athletically, academically, or socially. Goals are what you get places in life. Without goals, we would not have motivation.

Here are a few ways to draw your  personal, educational  roadmap:

1. Select an ultimate destination. For example, Harvard Business School.

2. Learn everything you can about the destination like:

• Where is it?
• How long does it take to get there?
• How do I get there?
• How long can I stay?
• What does it have to offer me?
• What do I have to offer it?

3. Using step two, find directions.

•  Seek out a great high school: public or private. If you know you want to study business, research schools that specialize in business tracks. For example, each high school in my district specializes in one area of study like Global Studies, ROTC, Humanities, Business, Law, Communications, etc.
• When you arrive at your respective layover (high school), take as many additional specialized classes as you can to further your knowledge base. For example, don’t stop at Microeconomics…take a Marketing elective or a Website Design class.
• Once your reach that crucial junior year in high school: BE PREPARED for the SAT/ACT. By that time, TestSoup will have its’ SAT/ACT flashcard system up and running!
• After you dominate the college admissions tests, you begin the search.

4. Repeat step 1-3 but this time as it applies to College. Extra Tips:

• Research alumni networks; measure the strength
• Research job placement rates
• Research graduate schools alumni attended
• Read Extra! Extra! Be all about it: The First Year College Experience

5. Arrive at your destination and share your experience with others!

College is no easy transition…for anyone! New place, new people, new opportunities! The key: never let the door close…always OPEN it!

Now that you know how to tackle your anxiety and manage your time, you can certainly MASTER your first year of college. Here are a few tips to guide you to the top (academically, professionally, and socially):

1.Check your email! The first week of school is PRIME time for clubs and activities to solicit you to join them! Actually READ your email! You never know if you only read the subject line! *Personal example: First week of school, I checked my email and found out about SIFE(Students in Free Enterprise) which soon granted me the opportunity I have today working with TestSoup!

2. Read your school’s newspaper/magazine. Even if you only scan the top story headlines, at least you will know what is going on around campus. If you have mastered planning, it is likely that your friends will look to you for plans and or advice around school. You can be the one who is the responsible source for information.

3. Form relationships with your professors up-front. Make it a point to attend their office hours to introduce yourself and do not be shy: ASK QUESTIONS! Professors are passionate about learning and even more passionate about students who crave the same educational success they do. Students can also help professors and educators improve their teaching style and influence the way they approach topics.

4. Always be ahead of the game (sometimes even the professor!) Never wait until the last minute to complete an assignment! Always do it as far in advance as possible, this way if any confusion arises, you can clarify it! You may also save the rest of the class (and maybe the professor) from making the same mistake you did (ie. Typo or unclear directions).

5. Do not be shy as a freshman, or any college student with inexperience. In college, drive matters more than age. Just because you are a freshman, it does not mean you cannot be a leader. Go the extra mile and put yourself out there. If something interests you and you feel passionate enough about it, go for it! *Personal example: September of my freshman year, I became Project Manager overseeing 5 teams (20 total people) working on 5 of Wasabi Ventures, LLC startup companies (TestSoup included!). It was great experience and led me to become co-President of SIFE for the upcoming academic year.

6. Participate! In class, especially in a bigger school, make sure the professor and classmates know your name! A name to a face is very important now and down the road. Participation also demonstrates confidence. A student with confidence is one to admire.

7. Communication is KEY: with friends, professors, advisors, etc. Socially, keep in contact with friends and develop relationships. Relationships and your own support system are very helpful in college when discussing goals, personal lives, and during stressful exam times! Academically, keep in touch with your most talented and influential professors-you never know when you will need a reference or a friendly face to chat. In terms of advisors, especially if you hold a leadership position of any sort, retain contact and always encourage new ideas and never stop developing new ideas. Most of all, don’t forget about your forever-supportive family at home

8. Back to Planning is Proactive: PLAN AHEAD! Bring an umbrella, always have your graphing calculator, and highlighters are MUST! Most importantly, combine your Time Management skills with these new skills and prepare for ALL EXAMS/Quizzes/Papers AHEAD of TIME! For example, by Junior year (if not sooner) start planning for Graduate School. Create a favorites folder in your web browser for top B-Schools, Med Schools, or one of your choosing.  In accordance, plan for your admissions by seeking references, editors/critiques for résumés, and admissions essays. Last but certainly not least, prepare for ENTRANCE EXAMS such as GMAT, GRE, or even AF PDG in advance! Your best resource is for this kind of test prep is TestSoup. TestSoup provides AFFORDABLE, FAST, and ACCESSABLE test prep with its web and mobile based flashcards: BlackBerry ready(iPhone and Android coming soon!) Check it out! Try 25 Free today! www.testsoup.com

1. In order to manage your time effectively (and to reduce stress), invest in a 15-minute or hourly planner.  This will enable you to set a rigid study schedule for months ahead of time! I know it seems intimidating at first, but trust me it will change the way you live your daily life (for the better!)

 2. Establish a routine (this goes along with the idea of the planner); get up around the same time everyday and get to bed around the same time. When scheduling your study time, try to make it around the same time each day, for the same amount of time.

 3. Post-Its are my best friend. I believe they are a necessity to life. Post-It flags come in very handy when studying for big standardized tests such as the GMAT. You should flag* the pages, questions, and/or topics that you need to review and write tips, tricks and notes you thought of while studying. This way you do not waste time figuring out what you already discovered! *Make your life even easier…utilize TestSoup’s flag for review feature on their web and mobile based flashcard system!

4. Stay focused. If your planner says to study for 3 hours; study, and study ONLY. That means turn off and displace your cell phone, and disable your facebook. Isolate yourself from all distractions and keep it that way until you are done! That also means no snack breaks…come prepared to “preparation site” with a bottle of water and eat a healthy snack/meal beforehand!

 5. Keep “tabs” on where you left off in your previous day’s studying. The best way to keep track would be to create a comprehensive study guide and check it off with the date completed when you feel confident enough. The topics that continue to trouble you, circle and review them until you master them. It is important to outline the main ideas of each topic and record equations on a formula sheet so as you are doing your final review, you can quickly go over everything and dive deeper into the areas that do not jog your memory as quickly.

Test anxiety is a horrible thing. However, I have found some ways to overcome it:

1. The source of your anxiety is likely the extra adrenalin you have in your system. The more you have the more you will worry. Thus, working out is a great way to rid yourself of extra adrenalin and make you tired enough to go to sleep early. If you find yourself getting anxious during your practice/studying take a minute and go run up and down the steps or do jumping jacks. I know it sounds ridiculous but it really works. It took me too many years and too much stress until I finally figured that out. Once I implemented the above strategies, my grades went up and my stress levels came down.

2. Try to get up and get to sleep early. Your body is up and functioning for 16 hours. Try to make your sleep schedule work accordingly. Try to get up no later than 8:30AM and bed no later than 11:00PM.

 3. Make sure you know the basics. The core concepts are the key to your success on the exam. Flashcards are the best way to review I find. I would try TestSoup-you can even study with BlackBerry and iPhone apps, on the go, to keep your mind busy. Best of all, TestSoup is affordable at a cost of only $9.95/year.

4. When you are studying, if you are easily distracted, turn your phone on silent and put it away (unless of course you are using the TestSoup mobile apps!). Something that helped me was listening to classical music; I created my own station on Pandora and just listened wherever I was to stay focused.

5. Get PLENTY of sleep the night before. Also, the night before, do not touch a book or any exam prep materials. Schedule your time so that you have completed all of your studying and reviewing prior to the night before! The night before you need only to RELAX. Take your mind off the exam. By that time, you either know it or you don’t. So just try to keep your anxiety to a minimum by watching your favorite movie or tv show. This helps, trust me!

 6. Eat a big healthy breakfast before the exam…the last thing you need is an empty growling stomach before or during the exam!

 7. Visit the test center at least a week ahead of time so you are familiar with it and its location. On test day, make sure you allow yourself plenty of time to arrive. I would arrive to the test site at least 30 minutes early.

The interview process is VERY important. Once you realize that schools are trying to invest in your future career success, rather than rewarding you for past performance, you understand the importance of the interview. The school wants to see if you have “it,” where “it” is that undefinable quality that leads people to say, “So-and-so is a rockstar. I wouldn’t want to bet against him/her.”

Read “How to Get Into Harvard Business School”

1.  Buy the Manhattan GMAT sentence correction book.  It is by far the best sentence correction book on the market (at least for the money)

2.  The sentence correction questions and reading comprehension passages (in our opinion) are more difficult on the actual GMAT vs. GMATprep.  In addition, OG 11 and OG 12 questions are pretty much maxed at the 650 level. 

3.  When dealing with critical reasoning questions, try reading the passage first and the question stem second.  90% of test prep companies will tell you that you can save a lot of time doing it the other way around, but we disagree.  The problem is that if you read the question stem first and the passage second, you tend to “skim” the passage and look for certain information.  Wrong answer choices hurt those who “skim” the passage.  Try it and see if it works.  It does for a lot of people.  In addition, try some critical reasoning questions from various LSAT prep materials–LSAT questions are more difficult than you will see on the GMAT.

4.  READ DENSER WORKS than you would normally read.  You will improve your reading comprehension a ton if you start doing this.  The resources mentioned below will also help you in the sentence correction section.  Read 3-5 passages per week from each resource below:

• The Economist (magazine)
• The Wall Street Journal
• Any deep Philosophy book

As you study/read with these resources, begin asking yourself some questions:

1.  What is the topic (subject)?

2.  What is the scope of the topic (subject matter)?

3.  Why is the author writing about this?

4.  What is the overall structure of the passage?

5.  What is the author trying to say?

As you do this, use a laminated board and marker and begin writing down the answers to these questions.  This will help lead you to the most correct answers on the GMAT.  In addition, studying with these resources will help train your brain to understand confusing subjects that you may know nothing about.

A few more tips:

1.  Read actively and don’t “skim” over passages

2.  Find the conclusion statement.  This is usually in the first or last paragraph.

3.  Paraphrase confusing subjects/statements in your own words.  This will help you stay focused on what you really need to know.

Stay tuned for quant tips!

As we prepare for Beta launch, we hope you continue to find our service among the very best on the Internet. Our goal is to provide test-takers with fast, reliable, and exceptional content that is accessible 24/7, anywhere in the world. A few questions and answers as we move forward:

Q: Is TestSoup the only resource I need to prepare for my test?

A: No. TestSoup was created to provide core concepts, test strategies, and test hacks for your test. For the GMAT, our flashcards should serve as a supplement to existing materials—not a replacement. There are certain concepts (quant and verbal) that require constant repetition—this is the essence of TestSoup. Concepts, strategies, and test hacks both online and on the go.

Q: Where do you see the service in 6 months?

A: We continue to expand, not only in our flashcard study systems, but also in our partnerships with various companies and universities. We will soon offer flashcard study systems for the GRE, SAT, and ACT. In addition, we hope to add tracking and data management features for our users in an effort to personalize your TestSoup experience.

Q: When can I study on the go with your mobile apps?

A: Our BlackBerry app will be finished in the next two weeks. Eventually, we plan to create apps for BlackBerry, iPhone, Android, and Windows Mobile.

Please continue to provide us with your feedback.  Thanks!

If you are serious about dominating the GMAT, you must get serious about your game plan.  Below is a recommended study plan:

DAY 1:  Go to www.mba.com and download the free GMATPrep software.  Take a simulated CAT test in a relaxed state, but follow all time constraints and take the recommended 10-minute breaks between sections.  This will give you a good idea of where you would score on the actual GMAT if you were to take the test tomorrow.  * Most people will score 30-50 points lower on the actual GMAT (nerves, anxiety, mentally drained, no repeat questions for OG)

DAY 2:  Go to www.testsoup.com and sign-up for over 400 GMAT flashcards for just $9.95/year.  One of the biggest problems with most study plans is that most people do not review flashcards from day #1.  90% of test-takers need a solid refresher course with core concepts, test strategies, and test hacks.  This is exactly what TestSoup will give you.

Also on day 2, begin reading a denser book or magazine than you would normally read.  Try to read 4-5 books in 90-days that you would normally never read cover to cover.  For example, On Liberty and Utilitarianism by John Stuart Mill; Any book by Socrates; The Economist; The Wall Street Journal.  Pay attention to sentence structure.  Ask yourself why the author is writing the passage.  What is the scope?

ACTION PLAN:  3-HOURS:  Study all the TestSoup flashcards.  * Make sure you “flag” the flashcards you do not know or understand and review them 2-3x/week.

DAY 3:  Make a small investment in some other great resources:

• Purchase the Official Guide GMAT trio:  Official Guide Quantitive Review, Official Guide Verbal Review, and Official Guide 800 retired GMAT questions.  * Note:  These books are great for review, but DO NOT try to “memorize” old questions.  This may have worked for you in your undergraduate program, but it WILL NOT work for you on the GMAT.
• Purchase the Kaplan Premier Live Online book.  Study the book and familiarize yourself with the format of the test, etc.  The real value added from Kaplan is that you get six online tests.  Most people score 60-100 points lower on the Kaplan tests than they will on the actual GMAT.  Don’t freak out if you score in the 500s.  This is completely normal and part of Kaplan’s psyche to prepare you for the actual exam.

DAY 4:  Review TestSoup Flashcards

DAY 5:  Continue reviewing TestSoup Flashcards

DAY 6:  Continue reviewing TestSoup Flashcards

DAY 7-21:  Study, review, understand the explanations of every question/answer in the Official Guide Quantitive Review and Official Guide Verbal Review.

DAY 22:  Take the second full-length CAT test using the GMATPrep software.

DAY 23:  Focus on your weaknesses!  * Most people make the mistake of reviewing various concepts and strategies they already know.

DAY 24:  If you are weak in quant and find yourself not getting better:

• EZ-Solutions Math Series available at Amazon.com:  Fantastic math review.  The best GMAT math review on the market.

If you are weak in verbal and find yourself not getting any better:

CRITICAL REASONING:

• Buy a verbal/critical reasoning book for the LSAT.  The prep questions for the LSAT are much harder than the prep questions for the GMAT critical reasoning section.

* You may want to change your approach to critical reasoning questions.  Most GMAT prep programs tell you to read the question stem first and then go back to read the statement.  Try the reverse and see if it helps.  Read and understand the argument first, then read the question stem second.

SENTENCE CORRECTION:

• Buy the sentence correction book from ManhattanGMAT.  Easily, the best sentence correction book on the market.
• Memorize the TestSoup idioms list.  GMAT idioms seem to give people the most trouble in sentence correction questions—especially if English is your non-native language.

Stay tuned for Days 25-50 …

One of the most common mistakes made by many standardized test-takers is that they fail to pace themselves on test day. Standardized tests are timed tests so you must pace yourself! Here are two simple tips to help you beat the clock:

1. Practice Like You Play.  Get into the habit of simulating the actual test environment. This means no food, no drink, no paper and pencil (if your test is computerized), etc. Find out where the test center is and scope it out. We are creatures of habit so get comfortable and KNOW the routine.

2. Study With Flashcards.  One of the biggest regrets of many test-takers is that they failed to study with flashcards from day 1. Get into the habit of reviewing flashcards at least two-three times per week. Because your test is timed, don’t waste time pondering a formula, vocabulary word, idiom, etc. This is the beauty behind TestSoup. Our system is designed to give you the MOST important core concepts, test strategies, and test hacks to help you ace your test. For GMAT test-takers, this is critical to maximizing your score.