[nicole-hopkins]

Hey y’all—Here’s something I shared on my blog and the 7sage forums today. I hope this is helpful for those who are looking for a strategy 😀

This is what I’ve done the week of the exam. I believe these steps help to keep stress down and morale up.
1) Between Sunday and Saturday, wake up at 6am. Waking up ~3 hours before the earliest time you’re likely to start the test (when I took it, we put pencil to paper by 9.15 at an unusually efficient testing center) will help ensure that your cortisol levels are up and that you’re fully awake. Waking up at this time during this week and Saturday helps to ensure that you’ll be tired enough to go to bed Friday night. Also, no screens/blue light after 9pm. This will help ensure that you’re not artificially stimulating cortisol (waking yourself up) before bed.
2) Pre-hydrate. Drink a gallon of water every day of the week before the test. It’s really not that big of a deal to drink that much water, and doing so will ensure that you are well hydrated the morning of without having to drink much (if any) liquid.
3) Practice your game day routine at least twice. This means wake up at 6am, eat the exact same breakfast you plan for game day. Keep track of what you eat and drink and when you do it. Track your hunger, thirst, and bathroom need levels (just like in The Sims). Pro-tip: if you need to go at 10AM, there’s a very strong likelihood that if you follow the same plan/timing, you will need to go in the middle of section 2. Which is what we want to avoid.
4) Day of, general: don’t do anything differently from your dress rehearsals. No magic pills. No extra coffee. No tricks. No surprises. I recommend you get to the test center early and just go for a walk around the grounds if feasible. You might see some insane people flipping out. Disregard. You are not them.
5) Day of, warm up: Whatever you do, don’t score anything. And don’t do any new material. Maybe take a handful of LR Q’s, maybe one easy game, maybe one easy RC. Just chill out about it. You’re just warming up your mechanics.
6) Day of, during the break: People will try to talk to you because they are nervous or want reassurance. You are not there to be anyone’s friend. You are not there to be anyone’s therapist or life coach. My advice if someone persists in trying to strike up conversation with you: tell them you’ve taken a vow of silence until after the test. Yes, I see the irony of telling someone that you’ve taken a vow of silence 🙂 But do whatever you need to indicate that you’re not available for chatting. However you put up your personal “Do Not Disturb” status—just don’t let anyone throw you off your game.

No magic.

No tricks.

No fear.

No regrets.

YOU GOT THIS.

<3