As a firefighter you work great under pressure, but how well do you take a test under pressure? Be prepared for your fire promotional exam and maximize your studying by timing yourself when you take your firefighter promotional exam practice tests, here’s why. 

1. Reduce Test Day Anxiety

Going into a test that has the potential to make or break your career is stressful. Having the pressure of a timer ticking down as you take said test makes the whole thing even worse. Prepare yourself for the pressure of exam day by replicating that pressure before you even enter the testing room by simulating the stress of a timer. Time yourself while you go over your practice tests and see how you do. You will probably do worse to begin with, but then do it again, and again, and again. Putting pressure on yourself while you are in the comfort of your study space might not be the same as in the testing room, but it should help you get used to some test taking pressure. I will add, do not do this from the get go. Start just doing the practice tests untimed, and then move on to this method of studying once you have a better understanding of the material. Don’t cause yourself the unnecessary stress of not doing well because you started before you were ready. 

2. Help You Become Aware of Time 

Have you ever taken a test and been so focused you didn’t even realize how much time had passed when the proctor said times up and you were not anywhere near done? Well you do not want that to happen on the day of your fire department promotional test. Taking a self-timed practice test will make you so much more aware of how much time has passed and how much time you are spending on a question come test day.  Now, I am going to stress this, do not obsess about it, just be aware. It is important you notice if you are spending much more time on one question over another when you are taking your firefighter promotional exam on test day, so you can allow yourself to move on after a certain amount of time has passed. It is much better to get one question wrong because you skipped it and didn’t have time to come back and answer it, than it is to skip several questions because you spent so long on one. You want to accomplish as much as you can before you hand in your exam, having a sense of time and pacing yourself while you take your promotion test will help you become more efficient and accurate come test day. 

3. Figure Out Where You Need Work

Taking practice tests is proven to be one of the most effective study techniques, but timing yourself while taking practice tests at home is a great way to break down what areas you are spending more time on, and where you need to focus your attention. If you noticed you skipped a lot of questions regarding say, hazmat materials, and didn’t have time to go back and answer before the time was up on your practice test, that is a great indicator of where you need to focus your next study session. Finding out where you are getting stuck before your test is crucial so you can avoid getting stuck on the day of your actual firefighter promotional exam. 

The Takeaway

Timing yourself while you take your firefighter promotional exam practice tests is a great study tool to reduce test day anxiety, become aware of the clock, and isolate certain areas you need more work in. Pay attention to the clock but do not obsess and you will succeed come exam day.