Standardized tests, especially at a collegiate level, are a source of dread for most students who encounter them.
""Takes your time, takes your money, takes your happiness,"" said UW-Madison senior Abby Nowakowski after taking the GRE last fall.
Though the test is behind her, Nowakowski said, ""I still get an ulcer every time I think about it.""
UW-Madison senior Melissa Flores hasn't taken the GRE yet, but is still familiar with the stress. ""My roommate's sister took the GRE, and when she saw her score for the first part she had done so badly that she started crying. She was crying so hard that she did even worse on the second part.""
While not everyone has such an emotional experience taking graduate admission exams, they still prove to be a hurdle. With the stress of competitive graduate admissions the weight of the MCAT, LSAT, GRE, etc. can be impressive. Despite this, there are many resources and tricks available to help students succeed, or at least maintain their mental health.
Know your strengths and your weaknesses
UW-Madison senior Jennifer Mann chose to enroll in a Kaplan class to help her prepare for the MCAT last summer. ""I figured I wouldn't be motivated enough to do things in a timely manner so I thought studying like that would keep me on track,"" she said.
Knowing what your study habits are like can help you plan a course of action. Nevertheless, many students may find it hard or nearly impossible to devote enough time to studying.
""They tell you that the minimum amount of time you should study is 15 hours a week, but I probably studied 10,"" said Mann.
Nowakowski admitted that even starting to study a couple months in advance felt like ""not soon enough."" Nowakowski didn't take a prep class because of the cost, a factor that may be a deterrent to many students.
""The class is only worth it if you feel like you're absolutely not motivated enough to do it on your own,"" said Mann. ""Everything you get in class you could do on your own if you had books, and online resources.""
UW-Madison's libraries often have graduate admissions test prep books in their collections, and even the GRE website has free sample questions and strategies.
Nowakowski went into the test well aware of her strengths and weaknesses. ""I always suck at math, so I knew math would be tough. I felt pretty okay for the verbal and writing parts.""
Her advice? ""Get a math tutor,"" she joked.
Study smarter
""It seemed like the most beneficial part of the [Kaplan] class was taking the practice exams,"" said Mann. ""They help you realize what you don't know and what you should study more.""
Though the questions on a practice exams may not show up during the real event, the act of testing your knowledge may help you to retain more information, according to a recent study by Jeffrey D. Karpicke and Janell R. Blunt of Purdue University's Department of Psychological Sciences.
Results were strongly in favor of retrieval practice, an idea that emphasizes the practice of committing information to memory and then retrieving it from memory, as opposed to memorization of facts. The study explains the practice as reading through materials and then writing out what had just been read without the materials in front of you.
The study notes that students were hesitant about the effectiveness of retrieval practice, and predicted that repeated memorization would prevail going into exams.
""Going over and over information almost seems like the best way, like memorizing biochemistry pathways,"" said Mann. ""You just have to memorize sometimes.""
Yet, retrieval practice may just be a different way to memorize information without the materials at hand. Creating outlines is a fundamental way students are taught to structure their study efforts, along with making flashcards. This study, however, makes a case for challenging yourself to remember and write out what you've just read.
""Retrieval is not merely a read out of the knowledge stored in one's mind – the act of reconstructing knowledge itself enhances learning,"" according to Karpicke and Blunt.
Mentally prepare
It can't be said enough, getting enough sleep is the best way to refresh and prepare your mind.
""We do these amazing recovery things mentally when we're asleep, like neural pruning, which means we're able to prune out connections we don't need to have, and we're able to make new connections of things we've studied,"" said Rob Sepich, stress management counselor with University Health Services.
Neural pruning is a purely sleep-related benefit.
""That's the kind of thing that doesn't happen while we're awake,"" Sepich said. ""It's time well spent, even if you feel like that's the last thing you have time for.""
Aside from obvious preparation like getting plenty of sleep and eating a healthy breakfast, there are other ways to ensure a more positive exam-taking outcome.
""Using imagery when you're preparing for big tests, in addition to studying – picture yourself successfully recalling what you need to,"" Sepich said. ""This way, you're less likely to get distracted or overwhelmed in the actual test-taking atmosphere.""
One drawback of the testing structure, at least for the GRE, is that section scores are revealed as the test is being taken. For some, it can be discouraging to know about a less than desirable performance before the test is even over.
""It was like okay I failed,"" Nowakowski said. ""Great, now let's go to the next part.""
Sepich recommends paying attention to your thoughts. ""Even if you don't change what you say or what you do, sometimes your thoughts involve absolutes or guilt inducing words like, ‘should, have to, must.'""
With the seemingly infinite amount of material that could be included on a graduate admissions exam, it is hard not to feel as if there's always more that could be done.
""Going into the test I felt pretty well-prepared, and compared to people who didn't take class, I was ahead, but in retrospect there was a lot more studying I could have done,"" said Mann, who took a preparatory course before her exam.
Sepich advises telling yourself things like, ""I'm going to go to class. I'm going to finish this paper.""
To further increase your sense of control in the face of so much stress, he encourages people to ""take conscious breaths throughout the day, take a few slow breaths. Noticing your body inhale and exhale, for those moments, you're not multitasking.""
When the test is finally over, Sepich suggests to not worry about the outcome.
""Put the work in, but then step back, symbolically or physically to really feel like, ‘it's out of my hands,'"" said Sepich.
