Standardized exams are tests used to measure proficiency within a specific learning area, sometimes through random numbers and luck, like a game of Russian Roulette. Acing standardized exams is no more difficult than solving a puzzle, and its feeling is no more rewarding than surviving a game of Russian Roulette. Most standardized exams are uncomplicated, recounting and presenting in-class problems and textbook questions. The best way to prep for a standardized exam is to gather and examine your weak points: locate your point of struggle, then amplify it into your studying time and learning curriculum. Disregard but maintain your best areas, and give yourself a two or one-week notice before the test comes. IT IS VITAL, MORE THAN NECESSARY, that you do your homework. Keep yourself engaged, participate in class, and ASK questions. No one will shame you for asking questions. Try working with your peers, classmates, and teachers outside of class, too — friends usually give me the best support — but always remain in good company. Otherwise, your lazy and undedicated friends will steer you from studying. Trust me, it happens all the time! Distance yourself from distractions, and minimize hobby time, even if it is slightly related to your learning content. Unfortunately, most standardized tests are strictly related to material you learn in class, nothing outside the box. Spend 70% of your free time studying and spend the rest on your hobbies, interests, or family. Sustaining your mental health is also important: if you are stressed, feel free to discuss it with a parent or friend. Healthy and regulated sleep is ALSO a must for heightened memory: sleep early and receive more than eight hours of sleep every day leading to your test date. Your body and mind will be less weary and more aware of its surroundings. A healthy diet is vital when preparing for a standardized test/exam. Greasy and unhealthy foods often interfere with a person’s energy and thinking ability. Practice/prepare as if you were preparing for a sport because we, students and athletes, know how stressful it is to handle a pencil or ball during a game or test. Or, like a gun, while playing Russian Roulette. You live life to its fullest before playing, getting rid of everything before sacrificing everything. Because that is what standardized exams are for. You risk everything to earn little: in the game of Russian Roulette, another piece of life worth living. When you fail, however, you die, or at least that is what most students feel when receiving a poor letter grade. But it isn’t Russian Roulette! Although standardized exams are a game of luck — bad days and good days — and their content isn’t very useful in presenting themselves to colleges or universities, the habits you develop along the way, the tactics to lower the chances of being shot by a Russian revolver, or the academic weapons of modern institutions, is vital for success. The devotion you develop while taking a standardized exam is minus one bullet to a life worth living. Remember: the guides are the prize of acing standardized exams.