+2864 I am doing the AMC 10 very soon (few days). Do you guys have any tips on how to practice or things to know before I start the test?
I am only a 7th grader so I can always take it again, so I'm not that nervous, I just want to do well on it.
(sorry I realized I didn't make it off-topic, I tried to fix it but it won't let me)
Hello! Did the same thing a few years ago, it was fun. Highly recommend taking it again if you can.
Let’s start off with the actual practice. First off, I would recommend—I’m sorry—reading math books. I know it’s, like, the most boring thing you could be doing, but it will reinforce those topics. Maybe even look at some books on math of a higher level than you’re at. You never know what might be on the test!
Also, do practice questions. It will get your mind in the right track. Look for stuff on here to answer, do practices from your textbook, etc, all of it will pay off with your score.
Finally, and this will sound weird, challenge yourself with puzzles and riddles. What do math and puzzles have in common, you might ask? Mainly, they’re nonlinear (no pun intended). Both require you to look at things from different perspectives, to change your method of thinking and, most annoyingly, to do the same sort of thing over and over again.
Now for the best part (at being off-topic): psychophysiological preparation. Which is just a fancy way of saying getting your mind and body ready. No, it’s not some meditation/inner-eye sort of thing. It’s proven psychology that I've used to prepare myself for competing at a national level in Academic Decathlon.
The night before you compete, drink milk with dinner, preferably warm. Unless, of course, you’re lactose intolerant. If you usually have trouble sleeping, talk to your parents about taking a few grams of melatonin, the chemical your body produces to tell you it’s time to sleep. Both the melatonin and milk will help you get into a deeper level of sleep which will keep you from being tired in the morning. When you wake up the day of the competition, drink a glass of orange juice. This doesn’t have any real biological effect, but thanks to of the association with day time, as well as the Placebo affect, it should help wake up your mind and clear any grogginess from sleep.
Before the test, do a few easier questions. It will both get you in the right mindset and reinforce the fact that you can do this. The right method of thinking combined with a positive view can have a big effect on your performance.
Finally, enjoy it! Your not taking the test because you think it will be boring, you’re taking it because it’s fun and cool and because it’s okay to be smart, or even nerdy! Steve Jobs was a nerd and look how he ended up!
That’s pretty much all I got! Hope I was able to help you with the competition along with any others you compete in! Good luck to you and remember that you got this!
