Whether or not you want to, you might have to take an exam or two over the summer. It could be a college entrance exam, like the ACT or SAT, a college placement test, or a post-graduate test, like the LSAT or GRE. Whatever it is, it’s fairly likely that you’ll forget about it until a week or two before you have to take it, and then have to scramble to get ready for it. Instead of doing that, use some of the tips below and you’ll have a much better time.

The first thing you need to do is not forget your test. Write the date down on a calendar, use email reminders, leave yourself notes, do whatever you have to do so that you know when your test is coming up. I’d be setting unrealistic expectations if suggested you study all summer, so I’ll be honest and say that you’ll probably need two or three weeks before your test for some serious studying.

Second, study! It’s easy to skip studying for standardized tests like the ACT or SAT—especially if you do well in school—but it will be worth your time to get some studying in. No matter what the test is, you want to do as well as you possibly can on it. If it’s a college entrance exam, you’ll be more likely to get into a top-flight school and earn more scholarships. If it’s a placement test, you’ll be able to skip out of more classes in college, freeing up credits for adding a minor, second major, or a few classes for fun. If it’s a post-graduate exam, it’s especially important to study, because you’ll need very high scores to get into good schools. Use a test preparation program, join a study group, or just read a test-prep book. Whichever method you choose, start early and stick with it! It might not be much fun to study during your summer vacation, but your time will definitely be well-spent. Even if you just spend a few hours a week, you’ll be much better off. Ideally, you should try to spend about an hour a day (and not late at night, when your brain is already in power-save mode) studying. If you can’t do that, try to get in an hour every couple days. Just keep going over your material!

Another difficult thing to do in the summer is get enough sleep, but this is just as important as studying. If you’re chronically sleep-deprived, you won’t have the energy to do well on your test. For at least a week prior to your test, make sure to get 8 hours each night, and get at least that much the couple nights before the test. It’s hard enough to take these tests. Don’t make it harder by making yourself fight off sleep throughout the whole thing!

As always, if you have any questions, comments or funny stories you'd like me to share about college or the blog, email me at stu@stuvu.com