that your body have the food it needs for brainpower, you should not overeat either! Try to dress appropriately for the test environment. Dress comfort- ably, ensuring that none of your clothing becomes a distraction to you or others during the test. Test day is not the day to wear clothes that are too tight, too loose, or too loud. You want to focus all of your brainpower on answering questions, not on thinking about how uncomfortable you are. In addition, consider whether or not the test- ing room is air-conditioned. Will you need to take a sweater? Will you be overheated? Are you allowed to take bottled water into the room with you? Functional Preparation Do you have a number two pencil? This question is an example of functional preparation. Do you have what you need or are required to have in order to take this test? Some tests require that you register ahead of time. Have you preregistered? The instructor may have said that she will allow you to use your notebooks for this test. If so, have you remembered your notebook? You see that functional preparation refers to the items and processes that must occur for you to take the test. You may have studied voraciously and you may be dressed appro- priately, but if you are not functionally prepared for the test, it could all be for nothing! MINDBENDER Time Management Quiz Do you often (Yes or No): YES NO ____ ____ 1. Feel that you don’t have enough time to get every- thing done? ____ ____ 2. Begin to study for an exam or work on an assign- ment and realize it’s going to take twice as long as you thought? Managing Time and Being Prepared xxv ____ ____ 3. Feel like you’re rushing all day long, jumping from one thing or place to another, yet never accomplish much? ____ ____ 4. Spread yourself too thin, committing to more extracurricular and social activities than you can possibly handle? ____ ____ 5. Finish big projects and papers the night before they’re due? ____ ____ 6. Feel as though you’re running late? ____ ____ 7. Feel that you never have any time to relax? ____ ____ 8. Set goals that you never achieve? ____ ____ 9. Procrastinate by putting off difficult assignments until the very last minute? ____ ____10. Feel that you spend most of the day doing things you don’t enjoy? To see how well you manage your time, total the number of “yes’s” and compare to the following: Score If your total number of Yes answers was 0—Great! You’re organized and plan your time effectively. Well done! 1–3—You usually manage your time pretty well but may falter once in a while. You need to create a schedule you can stick to. 4–6—Your time management schedule is disorganized and out of control. Before you know it, activities and assignments are piling up so fast you can’t keep track of them. You definitely need to organize your time more effectively. 7–10—It’s time for you to learn some time management skills and take control of your life. This is one assignment for which you can’t afford to procrastinate. Adapted from West Central Technical College website: www.westcentral.org/academics/timemngt.pdf xxvi 10 SECRETS TO ACING ANY HIGH SCHOOL TEST IN SUMMARY A large part of acing high school tests takes place before the tests even begin. Learning to manage your time efficiently and effectively, including taking the time to prepare your self physically, mentally, and functionally for the big test, will reap extraordinary rewards. See Secret #6 to learn how to create and implement a study plan. If you need help mentally and physically preparing yourself, you may want to take a look at Secret #10 for information on preventing test stress. Just the Facts • Take the time to prioritize your work. • Create three types of schedules: long-term, medium-term, and short-term. • Learn to manage your time both before and during the test. • Be prepared mentally, physically, and functionally. Managing Time and Being Prepared