"The world makes way for the man who knows where he is going."
-- Ralph Waldo Emereson

was to start paging through my stuff to study for a test.  If it looked familiar,

I was lulled into a  false sense of security and thought I actually knew the

stuff.  Then the test came and I’d be shocked into the cold, harsh reality that

I didn’t really know it at all.  Boy, that’s a terrible feeling.  When it’s happening,

you can literally feel the little beads of sweat start to pop out on your upper lip!

          The key to avoiding the “familiarity” problem is to make yourself sets of

practice problems (practice tests).  Take one of each type of problem your

teacher has covered.  You can use your outline as a guide.  Pick the problems

out a day or two before you try to work them, so you don’t remember where

they come from.  This way, you’ll know if you can do them in a test situation. 

Even better, swap practice tests with a study buddy.

          A cautionary note:  Do not do your first practice test the night before the

real test because, if you bomb, it’s going to put you into a complete panic! 

Always start these 2-3 days ahead of time.

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