By Allie Davison, Wharton High

For college-bound juniors and seniors, a lot rides on SAT and ACT scores. With all the time and pressure you spend on them, you have every right to get stressed. However, you can’t let the test beat you; you have to beat the test.

Kevin Maloney, head of Wharton High’s science department, knows a lot about helping students gain confidence to ace tests, be they the almighty SAT, ACT or any exam. Maloney has been working with students since his freshman year at Rutgers.

“I started tutoring in college. Realized I was good at it and went from there. The personal nature of tutoring is the best. You can tell when a student gets it or doesn’t.”

Here are some of Maloney’s top tutoring tips, which will at least make you laugh (studying is easier with a sense of humor):

• “Always rewrite your notes using finger paints. Because it helps kinesthetic memory, which is when you learn better by moving or touching things.”
• “Study your notes. Then after you write them in finger paint, rewrite them in the next language you know best. Spanish, Italian, French. Whatever it may be.”
• “Read your textbook, but read every word backwards. It tends to help you remember what you’re reading.”
• “Always the night before a test, study outside. The fresh air will increase the oxygen intake to the brain and will allow you to remember more.”

On a more serious note:
“For big standardized tests, you should definitely relax and not take it too seriously. The stress ruins your test results more than anything else. Anxiety is the biggest problem I see with students the night before. High-stakes tests, tests that count for more, result in a lot of pressure.”