Test Day Checklist
Download Checklist PDFYou’ve made it through months of studying. You know the format and directions of the test cold. You’ve developed strategies to show off your strengths and offset your weaknesses. So what’s left? Essentially, the last step in test preparation involves ensuring you’re at your best, both physically and mentally, and minimizing distractions so that your entire focus can be on the test itself.
To help you out, we’ve created a few checklists for you. The three checklists below will help you remember what to bring and what to avoid bringing with you on test day. Use these lists to make sure you don’t forget anything important.
What you MUST bring on test day- Your admission ticket (printed out from the College Board or ACT Student website)
- At least two sharpened No. 2 pencils (pens and mechanical pencils are not allowed)
- An eraser
- Photo identification (make sure you check online for acceptable forms of identification)
- An acceptable calculator with fresh batteries
- Graphing, scientific, and four-function calculators are all permitted, though four-function calculators are not recommended.
- Laptops, portable/handheld computers, cell phone calculators, and pocket organizers are NOT permitted.
- Be sure to read your test’s official calculator policy to make absolutely sure the calculator you are planning to bring is permitted.
- A watch that does not make noise
- Extra batteries for your calculator
- Drinks and snacks (for your break)
- A bag or backpack to carry all this stuff
- Cell phone, pager, iPod, MP3 players, BlackBerry, or any other digital or electronic equipment
- Scratch paper
- Notes, books, or dictionaries
- Compass, protractor, or ruler
- Highlighter or colored pencils
- Portable listening or recording device
- Camera or other photographic equipment
- Watch with an audible alarm
You’ve spent months studying, taking practice tests, learning new vocabulary terms, and doing more practice problems than you care to remember. It’s almost test day, and you can see the light at the end of the tunnel, but you’re not out of the woods yet.
You want to be completely prepared so that all you have to worry about is whether the answer is A or C, not where your calculator is or if you’re going to be late for the test. The three checklists below contain all the nitty-gritty details to consider the night before the test, the morning of the test, and during the test. Just follow these checklists, and you’ll be good to go!
The day before- Give yourself a break. Ease up on your studying, and take some time to relax. Do something fun. Sometimes getting your mind off the test is the best preparation.
- To avoid unnecessary stress, gather up everything you're going to need for the next morning. You don't want to be frantically searching for something just before you rush out the door.
- Make absolutely sure you know how to get to your test center and how long it'll take you to get there.
- Get some rest. Getting a good night's sleep the night before the test will help you MUCH more than any last-minute cramming you might be tempted to do.
- Set two alarms. Consider setting one in your room and one in someone else's room. One should be battery-powered, just in case the electricity goes out.
- Eat breakfast. You might not feel hungry, but you’ll be at the test center for hours, and you’re going to need the energy.
- Bring snacks to eat during the breaks. A healthy snack will go a long way toward keeping you focused throughout the entire test.
- Get there early. Consider traffic, weather conditions, flat tires, and anything else that could slow you down.
- Leave your cell phone at home. You’ll survive without it for a few hours … we promise. If you are seen using a cell phone or any other prohibited electronic device while in the test center or if the device makes noise or vibrates, you may be dismissed immediately and your scores may be canceled.
- Use the breaks to relax. Eat or drink any snacks you have brought with you. You should feel refreshed after your breaks.
- Work only on the section you are supposed to be working on. You're not allowed to go back to a section once that section has ended or start on the next section if you finish a section early.
- Do easier questions first. You earn just as many points for easy questions as you do for hard ones.
- Make sure you fill in the circles darkly and completely on your answer sheet. If you change your response, erase it completely. Your test is read by a machine, so you need to be sure your answers are clearly marked.
- Use all of your time. Go back to review problems you weren't quite sure about. If you skipped any hard problems, use the time to try to work them out.
- Try to stay positive and focused. Keep your mind on your work, not on your score.