With the IGNITE and ACER test less than 1 year away for 2026 test takers, it is time that they start preparing for the test, that will happen in early Februrary next year. As this test dictates where they will end up for the last 6-7 years of their education carrer in school, many people are nervous about what to prepare for, what not to do, and how to prepare for the test so they can achieve maximum amount of marks. To help aid those people, in this blog, I will be writing about the top 3 mistakes that they should avoid while preparing for the IGNITE and Scholarship test, in order to get the best results for them.
If you don’t know me, my name is Mahad and I am a student at Glenunga International High School in the IGNITE program. I got both a scholarship and a position into the IGNITE program, and now I want to help other people succeed like I did into getting into the best high schools for them. If you want to read more of my work, please visit my youtube channel at: https://www.youtube.com/@mahad142, and my website which you are reading this blog on right now! So, what is the first mistake to avoid during the test preperation?
1. AVOIDE Overstudying
The first tip is to simply avoide overstudying in the lead up to the test. Various people believe that studying is the best way to prepare for the test, and even though this is true, you should never overstudy. Overstudying is negative for various reasons. Firstly, it can cause you to loose sleep, which is a negative for various reasons. When you sleep, whatever you studied is put into the memory of your brain, which helps you have a better memory. Without sleep, you are more likely to forget the things that you studied and memorised for the test. Additionally, overstudying can make you less active, which reduces your happiness, and also effect your mental health causing you to be more stressed and do less effective studying, amoungst various reasons. Finally, overstudying can make you less productive, as you know that you have the whole day to study, which makes you push back your priorities more. Instead of overstudying, try to block your studies into appropriate time frames, only studying a maximum of 1 hour to 1hour 30 minutes at once. Additionally, continue to go outside, get the same amount of sleep, and do anything that makes you happy, and relaxed.
2. Avoid Cramming for the test
The second tip is to avoid cramming the night before the test, or even a couple of months before the test. Some students think they can study everything at the last minute and still do well, but this rarely works. Cramming can overload your brain and leave you feeling stressed and exhausted. It also doesn’t allow you to truly understand the material – you’re just memorizing it temporarily. Instead, aim to review and practice over a longer period, so you’re reinforcing what you’ve learned. A good night’s sleep before the test will help you remember more and stay focused. It is always better to start preparing for the test now, when you have plently of time to make mistakes, learn, and prepare for the test to your best ability without getting stressed, instead of cramming before the test and being constantly stressed.
3. Don’t rely on Practice Tests
The third tip is to avoid relying too much on practice tests. Practice tests are useful, but they shouldn’t be your only way of preparing. Some students think that just doing practice questions over and over will be enough, but it’s important to really understand the concepts behind the questions. If you only focus on the test format, you might miss out on learning the deeper material. Instead of just doing practice tests, make sure you’re also reviewing your notes, understanding the theory, and practicing problem-solving in different ways. That way, when you see a tricky question on the real test, you’ll be ready, as you know what to do with the question in the test through your notes and theory.
Overall, these are three mistakes not to do while preparing for the IGNITE and ACER test. If you want more tests, check out more blogs, and I’ll see you in the next one!