#test advice

The best way to stay healthy after a test is to stay healthy going into the test. 

It’s well known that stress increases your susceptibility to illness. Something something cortisol, blah blah. You know. You studied it. 

Unfortunately, telling a medical student to not be stressed out is like telling a cat to quit sitting in boxes or a white girl to stop drinking PSLs. It’s impossible. A non-stressed med student isn’t a med student. 

So you have to work on managing stress. Give yourself time for things you enjoy. Don’t avoid parties or fun stuff out of a feeling of obligation to study. Yes, sleep like you need to and eat well, but don’t get so wrapped up in wellness that doing the healthy thing starts stressing you out. Go to the party every once in a while. You need those happy chemicals in your brain. Consider it preventive medicine. 

Find something relaxing that you can do regularly during school to help de-stress yourself. Massage, meditation, pedicures, yoga, coloring, gardening, whatever. Do something slow and calm that leaves you energized at the finish.

And personally, I tried really hard to not go into a test stressed out. My roommate and I would stop studying at like 6 and eat pizza and watch a movie the night before an exam (ours were every 6 weeks - if yours are weekly this isn’t really feasible). I wouldn’t study the morning of the test before I went in. I’d just listen to music that pumped me up or relaxed me. I truly don’t think that those few hours of study we gave up made much of a difference on our grades, but it definitely kept us sane. A big group of folks went out to lunch after tests too. The only rule was no discussing the test. It really helps. Give it a shot. 

1) Study the material every day: This is something that teachers say all the time, but it is helpful. If you go over what is taught that night from the lecture, then you are more likely to remember it than if you were to wait until test day comes around.

2) Rewrite your notes: After a lecture, go back to your notes later that day and rework them. Make the notes shorter with the critical information. If you do this, you remember the information that is important to the class. Doing this helps you understand the material better.

3) Do not stay up past midnight studying: I know it is tempting to pull an all-nighter, but this is more hurtful than helpful. You need your rest to test well. Most of the time, if you don’t know the information past midnight, you won’t know it in the morning. 

4) Do not study up to the very moment the test begins: This stresses you out, and it can cause you to test lower. If you walk into the classroom and not look at your notes, then you are more relaxed. This helps the signals in your brain to calm down, and you can focus on the test. 

5) Always go with your first answer: Unless you are 100% sure you are incorrect, don’t change your answer. There is a more significant chance you are correct the first time than the second or third time.

6) If you don’t know an answer, skip it: If you stay on a question for an extended period of time, then you are going the be nervous for the rest of the problems. If the question is a multiple choice, give yourself a minute of time. After the minute, move on to the next question. If it is a longer question, give yourself three to four minutes max and then move on to the next question.

7) Complete the booklet first: If you are filling out a bubble sheet, ask your teacher if you can write in the test booklet. If you can, answer all the questions in the booklet first, then go back and bubble the answers. The back and forth motions can cause you to lose focus on the test and become distracted.

8) Start at the middle or end: Ever see the first question and not know what you are doing? Here’s what you can do: go to the last question and work backward. If you do this, then you can feel less pressure. You can also scan the test and see if there’s a question you know the answer to. This can give you a confidence boost if you know the answer and help you.

9) Pick one answer: If you don’t know the answer and the test is multiple choice, pick an answer for if you don’t know it, and stick to that answer. Here’s an example: Say you are taking a test, and you don’t know the answer. Before the test, you decided that answer choice B will be what you say if you don’t know the answer. Each time you don’t understand something, and you can’t recall it, you will put B as an answer. This method also works if you run out of time while taking the test. You can pick on answer choice and select that answer for the remaining questions. You are more likely to get one or two right doing that than picking random answers.

PREPARE FOR YOUR TEST DAY; SUCCESS STARTS WITH IELTS

You will find the IELTS test centre staff friendly, welcoming and highly professional. They will make sure that the test is delivered fairly and securely. Follow their instructions carefully.

THE WEEK BEFORE YOUR TEST

Check the start time and location of your IELTS test the week before, and make sure you know how to get there on time.

Remember, the address of your IELTS test location may be different to that of the test centre where you booked your test.

Take the time to read full details of the ‘IELTS test terms and conditions’ for important information about your IELTS test day.

YOUR IELTS TEST DAY

You need to arrive in good time for your IELTS test. If you arrive late, you may not be allowed to take the test.

Switch off your mobile phone and any other electronic devices. You will be asked to place these with other personal belongings outside the test room.

The Listening, Reading and Writing tests take 2 hours 40 minutes and there are no breaks between each part of the test.

Make sure you are prepared and have something to eat and drink beforehand. You will not be allowed to take food into the test room; you will only be allowed to take a drink in a transparent bottle.

YOUR IDENTITY AND PHOTOGRAPHS

The IELTS test location staff will check your identity when you arrive.

Make sure you have the right ID with you. If you arrive with the wrong ID, you will not be allowed to take the test.

You may also need two recent identical passport-sized photographs.

Test Day Photography

Some test locations will now also take a photograph of you on the test day – this photograph taken by the test centre will appear on your Test Report Form to provide increased identity security. Your test centre will let you know if it is going to do this.

Check the details that you were given when you booked the test to make sure you take the right ID and photographs with you.

DURING THE IELTS TEST

You will only be allowed to have a pen or pencil, an eraser and your ID on your desk.

If you need to go to the bathroom during the test, put your hand up to attract the attention of the invigilator. Do not disturb other candidates.

If you have any questions during the test, raise your hand to ask for help.

When you take the Listening test, check that you can hear the test properly. Raise your hand straightaway and let the invigilator know if you cannot hear the recording.

Please remember that you will have 10 minutes after the Listening section to fill in your answer sheet. You will not have 10 minutes after the Reading section, so please make sure that you write your answers on your Reading answer sheet as you complete each section.

AT THE END OF THE TEST

Stay in your seat until the invigilator gives you permission to leave the room.

If you think that there have been any issues that may have affected your performance, tell the invigilator straightaway.

If you want to make a complaint about your test day, you need to do this within one week of the test date.

Your invigilator will have a Test Day Incident Form. Please fill this in if you want to raise an issue or make a complaint.

SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTS