Don’t try and stay up all night study and cramming the night before the exam. Cramming s not only an ineffective method of studying since the majority of the information you are trying to cram will most likely not be retained, the lack of sleep will also increase your stress levels and decrease your ability to focus and think clearly. A well rested mind works best on exam day.
Do start preparing for the CAHSEE test well in advance. The sooner you start studying for the CAHSEE, the more time you will have to cover all of the information you need to without having to cram information in at the last minute. Also, the earlier you begin preparing, the sooner you will know which areas you need to focus on improving the most, allowing yourself plenty of time to devote to those specific content strands.
Don’t bounce back and forth between content strands when studying. Studies show the best way to retain knowledge is by focusing on what topic or concept at a time. Select one content strand at a time to focus on. Spend as much time as you need on that content strand until you feel you have mastered the subject matter and all are comfortable with of the aspects of that strand. Once you are satisfied, then move to the next content strand and repeat the process.
Do prepare for your weakest subjects first. Take at least one full practice exam to help identify your weakest areas as well as your strongest ones. Use this information to rank the content strands in order from your best subjects to your worst ones. Start at the bottom of the list and work your way up. This will ensure you have the most amount of time to spend studying the areas you need the most improvement in. By saving your strongest areas for last, you won’t have to worry if your preparation times runs out sooner than expected.
