Rest Leading up to Test Day
Make sure you’re on a regular sleep schedule. You don’t want to burn yourself out, and wind up tired on TEAS test day.
Make sure you’re on a regular sleep schedule. You don’t want to burn yourself out, and wind up tired on TEAS test day.
Find out where you will be taking the test and consider doing a “dry run.” Drive or commute to the test site around the same time of day as your test will be. You don’t want to be surprised by traffic or road construction on Test Day. You also don’t want to get delayed or stressed out trying to figure out where to park or where the restrooms are.
Do a high-level review. Flip through the lessons and rework a few practice problems here and there to reinforce all of the good habits you’ve developed in your preparation. (Redoing practice problems you’ve already done is fine: you can actually learn a lot that way about how to approach those types of questions more efficiently in the future.)
Two days before the test, stop studying—no studying at all! You’re not likely to learn anything new in those two days, and you’ll get a lot more out of walking into the test feeling rested.
The evening before the test, do something fun (but not crazy or tiring). Maybe you could have a nice dinner (without alcohol), watch a movie, catch up on housework (a clean house is relaxing for some people), or play a game.
Go to bed early enough to get a full night’s sleep (7–8 hours) before the day of the exam.
Before you take the test, do a TEAS warm-up. This will help your brain get ready to function at its best. Don’t take any practice materials into the testing center, but do a few easy practice questions at home or work before you leave for the test.
You have every reason to feel confident. You have prepared for this test! But if you do find yourself getting nervous or losing focus, sit back in your seat and place your feet flat on the floor. Then take a few deep breaths and close your eyes or focus them on something other than the computer screen or test booklet for a moment. Remind yourself that you have studied diligently and are ready for the TEAS. When you’re ready, reengage with the test.
Don’t let yourself get bogged down on any one question. You can come back to questions that you aren’t sure about, so skip questions whenever they threaten to slow you down or to steal time from the other questions. There is no penalty for a wrong answer on the TEAS, so make sure to answer every question before time is called, even if you have to guess on some questions.
TEAS Test Day Tip:
Use the multiple-choice format to your advantage: if you can eliminate one or two answer choices as incorrect, you have greatly increased your chances of guessing correctly.
This is very important. As you’re testing, don’t let yourself stop and think about how you feel you’re doing. Taking a standardized test hardly ever feels good. Your own impressions of how it’s going are totally unreliable. So, instead of focusing on that, remind yourself that you’re prepared and that you are going to succeed, even if you feel discouraged as the test is underway.