Register for the test on time. Most test-taking companies charge a late fee if you do not register by a certain deadline; avoid extra costs by taking care of this early.
Mark the date on your calendar. Make sure you show up at the right time on the correct day; arrive at least 15 minutes early to account for registration time (refer to your specific test guidelines for exact time requirements).
Know where your testing center is located. Being sure of how to get to your testing site will help ease any extra stress getting lost the morning of will cause.
Study the material: take practice tests, form a study group with peers taking the same exam, and make flash cards with vocabulary words and key concepts. This might sound obvious, but it's an often overlooked step. If you're comfortable with your material you increase your odds of doing well.
Get a good night's sleep. Being well rested will guarantee you're alert, and you'll make better decisions if you're not tired.
Eat a good breakfast. Thinking about lunch while you should be concentrating on the material, or experiencing a drop in energy, is never a good thing; remedy this by eating something hearty and filling beforehand. However, make sure you don't eat overly heavy food that will leave you feeling sluggish and drowsy.
Read all of the directions before you start. A lot of people skip this step, but if you get to the last question and realize your test won't be scored if it's written in pencil, you will not be happy. Make sure you know exactly what the rules are before you start.
Look over the whole test before starting. Knowing how long you should spend on each question is going to be time well spent.
Go through the test and answer all of the questions you already know the answer to first. This will help build your confidence and ensure that you don't spend too much time on one question. Make sure you mark all of the questions you don't answer, so you don't forget to go back to them.
If it's a reading passage with questions, always read the questions first. You should always know what you're looking for while you're reading so you can pick out the right answer quickly.
If it's a multiple choice test, cover the answer choices and ask yourself what you think the right answer is; then find the closest match in your list of choices. If your answer isn't one of the choices, eliminate answer choices you know cannot be correct and take your best guess with what's left over. Also, find similar answer choices and eliminate those.
Look for keywords in questions, like "not" and "except," so you know precisely what you're being asked before you answer.
Underline or circle keywords that will help you answer the questions.
Use all the time you have. If you finish with 20 minutes to spare, go back over the test. If the first answer you chose does not make sense, change it. Do not change answers without a good reason, however.
Ask higher order thinking questions on classroom tests. Use questions that begin: What would happen if...?"; "What do you think about...?"; "How was this similar to...?"
Prepare for testing all year long to avoid "cramming" a month before the test. Last minute "cram sessions" often cause burnout in students and teachers.
Know what's on the test. Review released versions of past tests and sample practice tests.
Give regular pretests to assess areas students are mastering and determine which need extra instruction.