I aced my admissions and standardized exams by learning to adjust my skills as needed and studying the topics tested. I took the time I needed to understand what I was weakest at and what I was strongest at.
When it came to English exams and essays, I practiced different drafting methods that allowed me to quickly process the argument that I wanted to make and the evidence that I wanted to add. I created web diagrams that connected different points to times in history and novels. I used the wording in the descriptions of the requirements to add a flair that tied everything together and ensured that the essay worked well. The other parts of the exam relied on my knowledge of literature, which I would grow by reading different books such as Frankenstein and The Scarlet Letter, which contained more themes and devices to analyze. I used the time in my English courses to write notes and create examples of literary devices, because being able to create one meant I was more likely to recognize one when I stumbled across a question about it.
For the math exams, I relied heavily on practice problems that I had from extra homework sheets or prints. I used the online courses such as Mathia, Aleks, and Khan Academy to reteach myself different equations and theorems before tests. I added the equations to my notes and created new math problems. This style of study eventually aided me in boosting my SAT math score as I was better prepared to continue the exam.
For sciences, I employed the same methods as the ones I had used for math to understand the equations and formulas, but added textbooks and rewrites to memorize terms. I rewrote everything in my own handwriting and swapped inks for every unit change. This kept me from mixing notes and allowed me to easily find the section that I needed to review for tests.
These methods were great for studying and being prepared, but the greatest factor that I had to push past to ace tests was the fear of failure. If I was scared of failing, I would forget what I had learned and second guess myself on things that I had initially known. I learned to handle the pretest fear by talking myself through it and listening to worship music the morning before, allowing the test time to remain positive and well. This kept me focused and prevented my thoughts from wandering from the exam.
These study methods and pretest talk through continued to be useful as I scored higher on my SATs and AP exams once I did the studying that I had done when I was younger.