How to Combat Mental Fatigue Mid-Section

Comments

• 4 Likes

  maxwgehr Core Member

  September 26 19 karma

  One trick I've heard is to mouth or whisper the words while you're reading. Not a cure-all but it definitely helps some people!
• 11 Likes

  im_sat. Live Member

  September 26 edited September 26 95 karma

  what really helped me is to split sections in half or into sets of the 1-10, 11-20, and 21-25/26, but still under the same timed conditions that you'll have on the test. once i got my timing down in the drills, my body got used to how long it takes me to do those question set. so by the time i started drilling full sections, i was able to orient myself according to my internal timing (and the clock). this made full sections feel less taxing, because my body is used to reaching those checkpoints of question 10 and 20. SO BASICALLY--- i just drilled split sections to take the pressure off at first and then NOW when i do at least one section a day, i turn off the clock and find myself aligned with the checkpoints almost every single time the way i drilled them. your body and internal clock really gets used to it, it's kind of crazy lol. and if i'm ever off or took to long on a question, i know exactly how to compensate in easier question types so i can get back on track. every checkpoint is like a reset for my brain. "alright, next ten questions"... " alright, five left"

  final word: you just need to do more drills and more full sections. then when you put it all together it won't feel so daunting. i had a terrible fear of full tests at first, and now even if i'm nervous, i can go into them knowing i can AT LEAST trust my body to keep track. that makes me feel less worried, more confident, and less tired once i'm done.
• 1 Like

  msruby1981 Live Member

  September 28 94 karma

  how did you do them in sections and still was under timed/realistic conditions ?
• 1 Like

  im_sat. Live Member

  September 28 95 karma

  @msruby1981 said:
  how did you do them in sections and still was under timed/realistic conditions ?

  i use the 7sage drilling feature. i choose the questions from a section and it sets the time for you. you can adjust the time if needed, as well.
• 1 Like

  Cowardly Core Member

  September 29 48 karma

  there may not be much of a shortcut around this but to keep doing full timed PTs. your endurance will improve a lot through the practice. i've noticed a huge difference but it took me a few months of weekly PTs
• 2 Likes

  sunnylsat Core Member

  September 30 22 karma

  This was my biggest issue on tests. One cause was that I would move on, but still be thinking about a previous problem and only half-focused. This contributed to fatigue. I learned to flag it, or write the question number down, and trick myself into believing it didn't exist.

  The other thing was that I started to take a 20-30 second mental break when I began feeling tired, try to breathe deeply, and treat it as a reset. 20-30 second may seem like a lot, but it's better for me than being foggy for half the problems.

  After doing it for a week or so, it started to help. I wish you luck!
• 1 Like

  L up North Live Member

  October 2 edited October 2 113 karma

  For me, it helped stacking 2 sections together as my drills for a couple days per week, so basically I was taking half a test on those days- sometimes it's just a matter of building endurance. Another really simple thing that helped me was using the end of my pencil to track the words I was reading as I read them- it helped my brain stay engaged with what I was reading instead of zoning out when I was tired, and limited the number of times I would need to go back and reread something. Ideally, you would be able to read the words out loud (or whisper or mouth the words, but I've heard people can get slapped for that during the test) but unless you have certain accommodations for, that's not allowed during the actual exam, so tracking with your pen or pencil is the next best thing. Also, candy or some sort of carb and a protein during your break- helps a ton because your brain needs both to work optimally, especially when you're getting fatigued on the last two sections, a little boost would probably help!