Time is a huge factor in exams like the ISEE and SSAT, and one that can cause young learners a great deal of stress and anxiety, as they worry about allotting enough minutes to give every section and question the attention it needs.
By practicing techniques and methods for time management, students will focus more on the exam itself, rather than checking the clock and worrying whether they will finish everything on time.
Consider these five time management tips each student should practice to establish an organized preparation system that is sure to help with their success on future tests.
1. Don’t Speed Through the Exam
Students tend to rush when they feel anxious or stressed, but in most exams there is really no need. While the time allotted for each section on the ISEE and SSAT exams can seem short, the assessors arrived at it based on a reasonable assessment of how long students would need to produce the correct answers.
With that in mind, students should be encouraged to concentrate on each question and take their time when thinking of an answer to eliminate the risk of making critical mistakes. Usually, they will find that they have more than enough time to spend on each section.
2. Shifting the Focus to Questions Students Know the Answers To
When students reach a question that they are not entirely sure about, they tend to spend a lot of minutes trying to complete it. While doing this, time is continuing to tick on, and many students will ultimately fail to leave enough time for the rest of the test.
Getting easy questions out of the way allows more time for tougher sections
The best thing for students to do during an exam is to focus on the questions they know. If stumped on a question, quickly approach the next one and get it out of the way. This will eliminate a large chunk of the exam in minimal time, leaving them extra time to focus on completing tougher questions afterwards.
3. ISEE and SSAT Test Prep Teaches Students to Divide Exams into Sections
The most effective method of time management during exams is to divide each section before proceeding. Depending on certain students’ strengths, they may tackle multiple choice questions first before any short answer or essay question, or vice versa.
Focusing on areas they excel helps students to plan their test-taking strategies
Establishing how much time will be spent on each will give them an organized plan and structure to follow. ISEE and SSAT test prep allows students to take practice exams in order to familiarize themselves with the format and develop a plan of action for the real test.
4. Set Aside Enough Time to Look Over the Exam
Many students complete exams without leaving any time left to review their answers. This can mean that they fail to correct crucial mistakes they may notice upon taking a second glance, and can lead to costly errors that could be easily avoided.
While some students may think this will give them less time, it can actually improve their final score. When approaching a question again after some time has passed, students gain a better comprehension of what is being asked, and will also have more time to think of a response to questions they may have skipped over earlier in the exam.
5. Read Every Question Carefully to Avoid Repetition
Another technique that can be a real timesaver is re-reading the same question a number of times for better comprehension. Students tend to read questions quickly in order to save time, without being aware of the fact that this method can actually do more harm than good.
Instead, instructors in SSAT and ISEE exam prep courses advise students to read each question slowly in order to understand it first-time, ensuring they can proceed with their answer confident in what they are being asked to do.
Put these time management skills to the test. Contact ASC A+ for more information regarding our SSAT and ISEE courses.
