The Week Before the SHSAT

The SHSAT (Specialized High Schools Admissions Test) is more than just a math and verbal exam; it’s a test of endurance and nerves. With only seven days to go, your goal isn’t to learn three years of curriculum—it’s to finalize your test day strategy and protect your mental energy. Here is your guide on what to do the week before the SHSAT so you can maximize your score.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS:

The Week Before the SHSAT
The Night Before the SHSAT
The Morning of the SHSAT
How to Manage SHSAT Stress
Tips for Success on SHSAT Test Day

The week before the SHSAT is less about learning new material and more about optimization. Here is how you should spend your time the week leading up to test day:

Focus on pacing and strategy.
Decide how you are going to approach each section and question type.
Sit down and work through SHSAT practice questions, or complete extra drills you skipped the first time through.
The weekend before test day, practice waking up early and eating breakfast, if you are not normally in the habit of doing so. You want to make sure you are alert and energized on test day.

Two Days Before the SHSAT

The last couple of days before the SHSAT is time to do your last studying—a few more practice problems—and then relax. Don’t start making hundreds of flash cards or taking practice test after practice test.

The Night Before the SHSAT

Do NOT study the night before the SHSAT. Instead, get together the following items for test day:

Assistive Technology (if indicated on your IEP and test ticket) – required
Your SHSAT test ticket signed by you and your parent/guardian
Slant board
Sharpened pencils, highlighter, pencil grip, and eraser
FM unit
A watch that is silent and not a calculator
A quiet, unwrapped snack (students can have their snack before the beginning of the test)
Water (in a soft or plastic container)

Know exactly where you’re going and exactly how you’re getting there. Relax the night before the test, and get a good night’s sleep. Go to bed at a reasonable hour, and leave yourself extra time in the morning.

The Morning of the SHSAT

Make sure you eat breakfast the morning of the SHSAT. Eat something substantial and nutritious, but don’t deviate too much from your everyday pattern. Dress in layers so that you can adjust to the temperature of the test room. The climate at the test location may vary, as may your body temperature. Make sure you can warm up or cool down easily. Be sure to get there early. Leave enough time to allow for traffic, mass transit delays, getting lost on the way, or any other snag that could slow you down.

Expert SHSAT Tip

Let go of “must-y” thoughts: those notions that you must do something in a certain way. For example, thoughts like “I must get a great score, or else!” or “I must meet everyone’s expectations!” can have a negative influence on your actions.

How to Manage SHSAT Stress

The countdown to the SHSAT has begun. Your test date is looming on the horizon, and your anxiety is probably on the rise. First, don’t panic! It is possible to conquer that anxiety and stress—both before and during the test. Keep reading for some expert tips on how to manage SHSAT stress.

SHSAT Stress Management Tip #1: Identify the Sources of Stress

Jot down anything you identify as a source of your test-related stress. The idea is to pin down as much free-floating anxiety as possible so that you can take control of it. Here are some common examples to get you started:

I always freeze up on tests.
I’m nervous about the English Language Arts section.
I’m never any good at math.
I need a good/great score to go to Brooklyn Tech.
My older brother/sister/best friend got in. I need to get in, too.
People will be really disappointed if I don’t get in.
I’m afraid of losing my focus and concentration.
I’m afraid that I’m not spending enough time preparing.
I study like crazy, but nothing seems to stick.
I always run out of time and get nervous or anxious during a test.

Take a few minutes to think about the sources of stress you’ve just written down. Then, rewrite them, listing the statements that contribute most to your stress first and putting the least stressful items last. Chances are that the top of the list is a fairly accurate description of your test anxiety, both physically and mentally. The items at the bottom of the list usually describe your more general fears. As you write the list, you’re creating a prioritized list of sources of stress so that you can start by dealing with the sources that affect you most. Often, taking care of the most stressful sources at the top of the list goes a long way toward relieving overall testing anxiety, and you may not even need to bother with the worries you placed last.

SHSAT Stress Management Tip #2: Get Active

Whether your choice is walking, jogging, biking, dance, push-ups, or even a pickup basketball or baseball game, physical exercise is a very effective way to stimulate both your mind and body and to improve your ability to think and concentrate. Also, it’s a medical fact that sedentary people get less oxygen to the blood and, therefore, to the head than active people do. You can live fine with a little less oxygen, but you definitely can’t think as well. Ironically, a surprising number of students get out of the habit of regular exercise because they’re spending so much time prepping for exams. In the long term, however, making time for exercise will pay off as part of your stress management efforts.

SHSAT Stress Management Tip #3: Keep Breathing

Dedicated attention to breathing is an excellent way of managing stress. Often, those who are struggling (either with physical or mental stress) end up taking shallow breaths. They breathe using only their upper chest and shoulder muscles, and they may even hold their breath for long periods of time. Conversely, those who continue to breathe normally and rhythmically while experiencing stress are more likely to be relaxed and in control during the entire experience. This means that now is the time to get used to the practice of relaxed breathing. Practice the next exercise to learn to breathe in a natural, easy rhythm.

With your eyes still closed, breathe in slowly and deeply through your nose. Hold the breath for a bit, and then release it through your mouth. The key is to breathe slowly and deeply by using your diaphragm (the big band of muscle that spans your body just above your waist) to draw air in and out naturally and effortlessly. Breathing deeply with your diaphragm (as opposed to your shoulders and chest) encourages relaxation and helps minimize tension. Try it, and notice how relaxed and comfortable you feel, especially compared with breathing more shallowly.

Tips for Success on SHSAT Test Day

Use these test-taking strategies designed to reduce your stress and improve your performance during the SHSAT.

SHSAT Test-Taking Tip #1: Keep Moving Forward
Remind yourself to keep moving forward instead of getting bogged down in a difficult question. Remember, you don’t have to get everything correct to achieve a good SHSAT score. The best test takers strategically skip questions (entering a strategic guess for every question) if doing so increases the number of questions they can answer correctly.

SHSAT Test-Taking Tip #2: Use Breathing Exercises
Keep breathing! Test takers often tend to forget to breathe properly as the test proceeds. They may start holding their breath without realizing it, or they may breathe erratically. Improper breathing interferes with clear thinking, so use breathing exercises to help you overcome stress during the test.

SHSAT Test-Taking Tip #3: Use Small Physical Activity
Some quick, small physical activity during the test—especially if your concentration is wandering or your energy is waning—can help. Try this: Put your palms together and press intensely for a few seconds. Concentrate on the tension you feel through your palms, wrists, forearms, and up into your biceps and shoulders. Then, quickly release the pressure. Feel the difference as you let go. Focus on the warm relaxation that floods through the muscles. Now you’re ready to return to the task.

SHSAT Test-Taking Tip #4: Don’t Panic If Things Go Wrong
If it feels like something is going really wrong, don’t panic. If there is a problem with your computer, stay calm. Raise your hand to tell the proctor you need help. If you start to worry about your overall performance—perhaps it seems like you’re only getting easy questions—remember that your focus should be only on the current question. Trying to gauge your performance during the exam is not only counterproductive; it’s impossible.

Written by Kaplan experts, reviewed by Melissa McLaughlin, Pre-College Content Developer and Heather Waite, Director of Content and Curriculum, Pre-College at Kaplan North America.

The Week Before the SHSAT