The biggest test of the year is tomorrow! Here are some helpful tips to get you through the day.

* Eat a breakfast that will stick. Including breaks, the SAT takes about four hours, so you need to be in it for the long haul. A breakfast of pancakes and fruit juice isn’t a good choice; that much sugar will make you jittery at the beginning of the test and sluggish at the end. Instead, try a meal of complex carbohydrates and protein.

* Bring a snack. You will have two short breaks, so have an energy bar or banana in your pocket to scarf down when the time comes. Even if you’re not hungry at the start of the test, you’ll probably be hungry by the end (Did I mention that this awful test is four hours long?). You might also consider bringing a bottle of water.

* Have lots of #2 pencils. Remember that mechanical pencils are not allowed. If you’re used to using mechanical pencils, or pens, you might have forgotten that old-school pencils sometimes break and invariably get dull. It’s insane to show up for the test with only two pencils. Bring several, all sharpened. It’s better to have too many than too few.

* Buy a pack of 4 AAA batteries and tuck them in your pocket, just in case your calculator runs out of juice. Batteries only cost three or four bucks so there’s no excuse not having some. You might even go ahead and replace your old batteries, but be aware there’s a risk that changing your batteries could delete your calculator’s memory, which will erase any programs you had stored. I give my students some terrific programs to help them on the math section, so I advise them not to change batteries unless they actually think their calculator is dying.

* Finally, wear a watch. Although most test proctors will helpfully tell you when the time for section is almost up, they are not required to do so, and may simply forget. Do not count on your proctor to keep you apprised on how much time is left on a section — that’s your job. If your watch has a chronograph function and you’re familiar with using it, great! Otherwise, just write down the starting time when you begin each section, so you can quickly estimate how much time remains whenever you feel the need.

Good luck!