Test Prep

The shift to remote learning, fueled by the pandemic, isn’t going away. With it, online testing has become more prevalent. Most admissions tests have transitioned to offering online testing options.

It’s back to school! Here at the University of South Florida, the fall semester is already in full swing. I had the privilege of attending the recent Town Hall gathering at the Tampa campus. There, our leadership team presented some very compelling data. USF has just welcomed its largest-ever and best-qualified class of first-year students. Sixty-five thousand applications were received—an increase of 15% from last year. The average SAT score of applicants? An impressive 1309. Our new students have arrived prepared to succeed.

Whether you’re preparing for college admission, entry into a graduate program, or a professional certification, the required test can literally alter the course of your future. With so much on the line, it’s no surprise that you have a dizzying number of options to help you prepare for your exam.

The LSAT has a reputation for being a kingmaker or dealbreaker for law school applicants. A high score proves to law schools that you have the intellectual firepower for the study and practice of law. A so-so score could put you at the back of the admissions line. To improve your competitive chances as law school applications reach a 10-year high, make a study and test-taking plan to maximize every trick for LSAT success.

If you’re interested in shaping lives as an educator, you have a straightforward path to becoming a Florida teacher. Along with holding a bachelor's degree from an accredited or approved institution, you just need to pass the Florida Teacher Certification Examination (FTCE) or Florida Educational Leadership Examination (FELE) to teach in all public schools and many private ones. Even if you don’t plan to take a position that requires you to lecture from the front of a classroom, all educators must pass the appropriate exam. This includes classroom teachers, administrators, college counselors, media specialists, and other support professionals.

If you have an important upcoming exam, the stress and anxiety leading to the big day may not just impact you mentally. It also can impact you physically. Excessive sweating, feelings of nausea, a racing heart, and trouble breathing are common signs of test anxiety, but that’s not all. Poor sleep is another side effect of stress that can hurt your test score.

No matter what type of exam you’re facing, it’s normal to experience fear and stress beforehand. You may have trouble sleeping the night before or a decreased appetite. However, if you have a history of letting your nerves get the better of you to the extent that it hurts your score, it’s time to learn some tips on how to overcome test anxiety.

The pandemic has added a whole new set of concerns when preparing for college and graduate school admission tests. If you’re getting ready to take an exam, having solid strategies for tests is more important than ever. From scheduling to delivery format to availability, the past year has thrown many changes your way that have probably made a stressful time even more difficult.

This year, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many college admissions offices are waiving the need for standardized test scores. However, plenty of schools still require an official score report before they will review your application for undergraduate or graduate admission (USF is one of them). Online exams can be a safe way to fulfill this requirement. If you’re not familiar with this option, here’s what you need to know about online standardized testing.

Conventional wisdom says it takes 10,000 hours of practice to master any skill. Such deliberate care in learning new things is admirable, but you’re scheduled to sit for the SAT nine Saturdays from now and, come on, you also have a life. If you need to shorten the learning curve for your weaker test subjects, simply adapt clever techniques from memory champions and adopt their brain-boosting habits so you can learn and memorize faster.