The Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) testing is just around the corner. Every year the PSSA is dreaded by middle school students around the state. The biggest reason that most students dread the test is the fact that it is so long, and you do not know what to study for. Leading up to the test, many students ask themselves the same question. “What can I do to prepare?”

Eat a good and healthy breakfast.

Try to avoid eating sugary and unhealthy foods. The best thing for you to eat is protein filled foods, such as eggs, greek yogurt, and pancakes. High protein foods fuel concentration and help minimize fatigue.

Never panic or worry too much about the test.

If you start to become too anxious, stop and take a breather and just relax.

Take your time and check over your work.

Be sure to take your time to make sure you answer every question and make sure you answered it in full. It does not matter if someone is done before you, it is most important that you do a great job.

Practice, practice, practice.

You may not know what to study, so each night leading up to the test take all the most important details from one section of your class notes and look at those ideas. Each night study the main ideas from a single section you learned about over the year. Then, each night study a different section until you feel you are ready to take the test. Chances are if you had the know the information on the section test, you will need to know it for the PSSA.

Get a good night’s sleep.

Never stay up too late the night of the test. Even if you are just studying, do not try to cram everything in before the test. A lack of sleep will help counteract your concentration.

Do not try to cram all your studying for the day before the test.

It is good to be sure you are studying, but gradually studying little bits each night is much more effective thaen waiting till the final night.