K12 School Study & Test Preparation Tips for Students

Last Updated on August 5, 2023 by Vishnu Nambiar

K12 schooling system is very popular in countries such as – the USA, Australia, Philippines, Canada, South Korea, Turkey, Egypt etc. This post will be of help to K12 students. Here, I’ve listed down some effective study and test preparation tips for students.

K12 is also popularly known as k through twelve or k to twelve. It basically stands for kindergarten to 12th grade. This schooling system starts with kindergarten stage and lasts till 12th grade.   A student enrolling in this schooling system will go through different levels such as – K, 1, 2, 3 and up to 12. By the time he/she finishes 12th grade, the student is said to to have completed four year high school education, senior high school education or combined junior/senior high school education.   Different phases of schooling that make up K12 system are – kindergarten stage, primary (elementary) stage, middle school/junior high school stage, high school (four years)/senior high school/combined junior or senior high school stage.   Students belonging to each level face evaluation tests, online tests, oral exams and other types of academic performance evaluation tests. Students may choose different modes of learning under K12 system. For example, they may go for regular classroom learning, virtual /online public schools and homeschooling.   In order to perform well in evaluation tests, one must follow certain rules, strategy and tips. I’ve provided some very effective learning tips and preparation strategy in this post. Both students and parents from countries such as USA, Canada, Turkey, Philippines, South Korea etc will benefit from this guide.   Let us check out the preparation tips. Here they are –

K12 study and test preparation tips

1 Setting up your ‘study-room’

Design your study-area in such a way that it motivates you to put forward your best effort. Choose a room that is noise-free. Ensure that the room is decently ventilated. Good lighting arrangement is also necessary. The room must also be devoid of any distractions. For example – there’s no place for Television in your study room! Yes, you may keep a computer in your study room, but it shouldn’t be used for gaming or activities other than learning.

2 Organize supplies and instruments

School students usually make use of supplies and instruments such as – pens, pencils, divider, compass, ruler, sharpener, eraser etc. While preparing your study-area, make sure that you arrange supplies and instruments in an orderly manner. Arrange them in such a manner that they remain easily accessible after you settle down to study.

3 Create additional study areas if necessary

Sitting for long hours at the same spot may cause boredom! In order to avoid this, you may set up a second study area! Yes, choose another location and arrange things as per your requirement. You may shuffle between study areas after long study sessions.

4 Make a time-table

Time management plays an important role in a student’s life. If you are able to manage your time appropriately, it will work wonders for you! Create a time-table. You should be practical with your approach and planning. You may keep the time-table flexible (depending upon the day of the week).   Making time-table is just the beginning! Anyone can make a time-table. The biggest task is to follow it religiously. Most students will start off decently. But they fail to stick to the time-table after certain period of time.   With discipline and persistence, you will be able to follow your time-table religiously. In case of serious illness/other unavoidable conditions, you may have to stop following the time-table. Once that phase of difficulty gets over, you may bounce back into your daily routine.

5 Set goals

I encourage my readers to set goals (academic). For example, you may set a goal like – “I will finish advanced algebra practice test by specific date/specific time”. Your goals should be realistic.

6 Divide goals/tasks into smaller tasks

On being burdened with large syllabus/academic material, students become overwhelmed. This situation can be tackled in a systematic manner. Students must learn to divide huge tasks into smaller, simpler tasks. This will help reduce the burden on them.   Studying small parts of the syllabus each day will be of help to students! Instead of covering the entire syllabus on the last week, students may learn one small chapter each day from the beginning.

7 Read, understand, question, find answer & repeat…

This is the best way to learn things! Read the study material and note down your questions and doubts. Understand the basics and find answers to your questions. This will help you remember things for a very long time.

8 Revise

It is necessary to revise previous chapters at regular intervals. It will improve your command on subjects. Revision will also etch things into your memory. Try to revise the syllabus before any evaluation test is conducted.

9 Eat well, exercise & sleep well

Students should get adequate amount of sleep. Sleep deprivation can lead to adverse conditions. It will have a negative impact on your test preparation. While preparing time-table, you must make sure that enough time is dedicated towards rest and sleep.

You may also check –

SAT preparation

K12 Mathematics subject preparation

  Students must also keep an eye on their diet. They must consume a balanced diet and appropriate time. If possible, try to exercise daily. You may spend twenty minutes each day for any sort of physical activity.