Hey everyone. I unfortunately was only able to register for an 8:00 AM test time (center ~20 min away). I am used to PTing at 10:30/11 AM as that is when I've taken all my remote exams. This is my first in person test and sadly last attempt. I was wondering if anyone has advice for adjusting to this new time - whether it means trying to sleep a lot in advance, trying to practice waking up, etc. I took PTs last weekend at 8:30 - didn't wake up early enough- and am worried. Thanks so much
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Goose! I'm cheering you on for your last attempt! Practicing good sleep hygiene is a huge one! A warm bath/shower, face mask, bedtime tea, and a book/comfort movie will help you unwind the night before.
But yes, I do agree that you should start adjusting your sleep cycle so that you can comfortably hit the ground running at 8 AM. Just remember that it's recommended to get there like thirty minutes early, so you should aim to leave the house by 7:10 ish. A brisk morning walk can also help wake you up, or a lukewarm shower!
You're near the finish line, I'm wishing you luck! I've taken it twice (technically three times) in person now, so if you have any questions about how it'll go down, shoot me a message!
@haena Hey, thanks so much!!! My fingers are crossed. I really appreciate all of your advice and any general thoughts / tips on what it's like in person.
I had an early one too and found that the adrenaline helped a lot! Also make sure you set out your stuff the night before to reduce day-of stress
@02kimask This is good to hear, thank you!
Hi there! I think you're on the right track with your preparations, since taking PTs at that time of day is one of the best ways to really get your brain used to getting into test mode at that time. Definitely try to adjust your schedule to waking up at least around when you'd need to get up to leave, but don't make any enormous schedule changes right before your test because that may throw you off. Sleep lots in advance and make sure your bedtime is early enough that getting up at 7:00 or so is doable, and make sure you can leave on test day with enough time to get to the test center early in case anything goes wrong or you need more time to settle in before your test.
One other thing to think about: what do you need for test day, and what will you need to do the morning of? The more you can prepare and be ready to get up and immediately go on test day, the later you can sleep, and the less stressed you will be. If you can prep your bag and have everything ready the night before, and know exactly what your timeline is, you'll be able to get in a good mindset the morning of much easier because you won't be as worried about getting everything together and getting there on time. So adjust your schedule to a reasonable extent, go to bed early and get lots of sleep, and prep thoroughly the day before (but don't study at all the day before, as a general piece of advice!). Hopefully this helps, and best of luck on your test!
@Josephine Thank you so much!
I also agree with the comments on preparing the most things you can the night before so that way you don't have to stress out so much the morning of. For me something that works is making sure I wake up early enough so that I'm not so groggy and can think clearly. Good luck!
@LuzSantos7732 Thanks so much!