FRIENDLY ADVICE
Gordon College faculty and staff (some of whom have actually served as Regents' Test graders) answer the question, "What advice would you give a student about to take the Regents' Test?" Their responses - some serious, some a bit tongue-in-cheek, but all useful - can be found below.
"It's easy for me to say, 'relax;' I'm not the one who has to take the test. But remember, you wouldn't be eligible for the test if your teachers didn't think you could pass it. Breathe. Tell yourself, 'I can do this.' You can."
"Take it seriously."
"Remember the little stuff -- bring a photo ID; bring more than one black pen and #2 pencil; dress in layers in case the room is cold. Anything to make yourself feel less stressed is good."
"Write thirty-five grammatically correct sentences in a row."
"If I could tell Regents' Test takers one thing, it would be "Chill out!" I think the situation is extremely difficult for anyone with test anxiety, because they have to stand and wait, then move from the Student Center to the classroom, etc., and because it takes so long to get the instructions read, filled out, etc., etc. But you know, when Dave, Gene and I have done our review sessions for folks, I try to emphasize that we're looking for competence, not absolute genius or absolute perfection. I also try to tell them that if they've done the practice essays successfully in class, they should be able to do the test successfully, if they just don't let it freak them out totally.
In fact, I usually tell folks at our session a little story about the men's 100-meter final in the 1996 (Atlanta!) Olympics. Yep, the race for the gold medal and the highly coveted title of "World's fastest man""! Long story short: British sprinter Linford Christie false-started twice, so he was disqualified. But he wouldn't leave the track.
None of the Olympic officials came to make him leave the track. So for a number of minutes, while he was pacing and fuming and getting his tantrum on ("This could only happen in America," etc.), the other sprinters were waiting, getting colder and more angry by the minute, because they were stretched, psyched, and ready to go. Finally, one of them, Canadian sprinter Donovan Bailey, just sat down on his sprinter's blocks, shook his head, and started laughing!
Now, I know nothing about being a sprinter, but my husband used to do the 100, 200, relays, etc. He said, "Look at that guy. If he's any good at all, watch him win this thing." When I asked why, he said, "Look at him! He's the only one out there who's relaxed." He won. Now, I have no evidence that he didn't use steroids, of course. But my point is, as I tell the most nervous students, there's something to be said for staying relaxed in a situation that's bizarre, difficult, psychotic, whatever.
So if they can find something that will make them laugh (whether it's a joke, an image, a memory, whatever), it sure can't hurt. Strange, huh? I have handouts that we do for review sessions, if you want those. But the story might be the best thing I have to offer!"
"The writing portion asks you not to write a long library research paper, but to write a simple and basic essay. Part of the problem some students have with the Regents' is that they make it harder on themselves than it has to be. Remember, you only have an hour. What can you do well in an hour? Very often, that old standby, the five paragraph essay is OK for the Regents'"
"Say something. Don't ramble."
"Read the question. Seriously. I know that sounds obvious, but you'd be surprised at how many essays don't seem to answer the prompt. Read the question."