By Vanessa Briones
October 19, 2022

My child has their SAT/ACT/ISEE/HSPT coming up this weekend. How can we prepare?

While standardized tests are important, it can be helpful to keep things in perspective. Remember, this test is only one of various metrics determining admissions. It is important to take the test seriously and do well on it AND it is only one piece of the puzzle. So, take a deep breath. The more calm and centered you and your family are for the upcoming test, the more readily your child will be able to access the information they already put time into studying.

In line with our holistic philosophies of education, here are different ways you can take care of your mind, body, spirit, and heart leading into your upcoming test.

[MIND] Workout Routine for the Mind

When we workout, it is best practice to warm-up your muscles before doing any heavy lifting. The same goes for our brains. We learn best when our brain has time to both warm-up and rest. Before study sessions, take a few minutes to warm up your brain. Here are some suggestions:

Choose a letter from the alphabet and write down as many words you can think of that start with that letter in one minute

Write your name with your non-dominant hand ten times
Take ten deep inhalations to get that oxygen flowing to your brain
Write out a noun for each letter of the alphabet
Do a free write brain dump where you a write stream of conscious without judgment for three minutes

Once your brain is all warmed up, you can jump into the full study workout. To keep your focus sharp, try practicing the pomodoro technique which is as follows:

Choose your task
Work on your task for 25 minutes
Take a 5 minute break
Put a checkmark on a piece of paper to track what break you are on
Repeat this for 4 check marks
After completing 4 rounds,Take a 20 minute break.

[BODY] A Healthy Body Makes a Healthy Brain!

We often think of test prep as study time and filling out test prep books, but taking care of your body is also an important part of the equation. The three main ingredients of taking care of our body are: food, exercise, and rest.

Food | Try mixing and matching various types of brain boosting foods into each meal and snack for the day. Print off a list of brain boosting foods and their benefits and post them on the fridge as an easy reminder when you are preparing your meals and snacks. Here’s a list to choose from.

Body | Move your body! Even a little exercise is better than none. If your child isn’t already involved in some sort of physical activity, try incorporating fun, simple movement in your daily routine. The 10 x 10 routine is easy to follow. Do 10 different exercises with 10 reps each. For example: 10 jumping jacks, 10 squats, 10 calf raises, 10 sit-ups, 10 push-ups, 10 crunches, 10 lunges, 10 bicycles, 10 mountain climbers, and 10 knee raises. Or modify to 10 x 5 depending on time and physical capabilities. Other exercise options include running, basketball, or yoga. Whatever it is, aim for 15-20 minutes of physical exercise per day.
Rest | Many studies show that 7-8 hours of sleep a day is the ideal amount. To help achieve that, try developing a wind down evening routine. Here is a fun chart of options to use with responsibilities and choices to develop an evening routine. Evening routines are great for all ages and are beneficial for test prep season and beyond.