(Not By Doing More Practice Tests)

It’s that time of year.

In upper elementary, the conversations start sounding like this:

“They have to be able to sit for 2 hours.”
“They need stamina for 30+ questions.”

And in K–2, it sounds a little different but carries the same weight:

“They need to be ready for longer assessments.”
“We need to prepare them for the upper grades.”

Stamina is not about finishing 30 questions. Stamina is about sustaining thinking. And students can’t sustain thinking if they don’t understand what they’re doing.

Misconception #1: Stamina Comes From Doing More Practice Problems

There is some truth here. Yes, students need to be able to sit and work for an extended period of time. 

But here’s what we see over and over again: Teachers make students sit for an hour and complete 30 questions, repeatedly. By the time they get to the actual test, they’re burned out.

As I shared in an earlier post on math test prep, the most effective preparation is not last-minute cramming. It’s strong instruction all year long. If students are confused in October, more packets in March won’t fix it.

Repeated exposure to high-stakes environments builds fatigue, not stamina.

When students shut down halfway through a test, it’s rarely because they can’t physically sit any longer, but because they’re cognitively overloaded or emotionally overwhelmed–something researchers studying math test design have documented when too much information competes for students’ working memory.

True stamina grows when:

• Students conceptually understand the math.
• They have consistent tools to enter a problem.
• They are expected to use those tools.
• They trust the process.

If they know what they’re doing, they will work through it. If they’re guessing, they’ll check out.

Misconception #2: “My Kids Won’t Use the Strategies on the Test”

This is the one I hear constantly: “They draw the structures in class, but they don’t do it on the test.”

Students perform on a test the way they’ve been taught to perform all year.

If drawing structures, naming the math main idea, or modeling is optional in daily instruction, it will absolutely be optional in their minds during testing.

In Chapter 2 of the Structures of Equality book (coming summer 2026), I talk about identifying the math main idea before solving. If students aren’t consistently naming the relationship in daily work, they won’t suddenly slow down and do it when a timer is running.

This is about accountability.

Whatever expectations you want during the test must be expectations during:

• Whole-group instruction
• Small-group work
• Independent practice
• Homework
• Formative assessments

In reading, teachers require annotation all year. Students highlight, code the text, and use it during testing because it’s non-negotiable in daily work.

In math, students get blank scratch paper for digital tests. But if they’ve never been required to use it all year, why would they start now?

We can’t be frustrated with students for doing exactly what we taught them to do.

Misconception #3: Practice Tests Build Math Stamina

Long practice tests often look like stamina building.

But what they frequently build is:

• Anxiety
• Avoidance
• Rushing
• Learned helplessness

In my article on understanding test anxiety, I outlined how anxiety shows up in children. It can look like fidgeting, stomachaches, shutting down, or saying “I hate math.” It’s not the math they hate. It’s feeling lost and under pressure.

When students lack tools for comprehension and regulation, asking them to power through 30 problems is like asking someone to run a marathon without training.

More exposure to stress does not equal more resilience.

What does help?

• Low-stakes practice
• Short, focused review
• Strategic thinking
• Explicit coping tools

Building Real Math Stamina: 4 Essential Strategies

1. Build Conceptual Understanding Before Test Prep

If students don’t conceptually understand composing parts, comparing sets, or composing equal groups, no amount of timed practice will make them confident.

When students can name the relationship in a story and connect it to a structure, they’re reasoning instead of guessing.

Reasoning sustains attention. Guessing drains it.

2. Hold Students Accountable for Using Math Tools

If you want students to draw structures on the test, require them to draw structures in class. If they get blank paper on the test, practice using blank paper all year.

Teach them how to:

• Fold the paper.
• Number their work.
• Label problems.
• Write “mental math” when appropriate.
• Show reasoning clearly and efficiently.

And hold them to it.

Over time, some problems will become automatic. That’s fine. Mathematical proficiency includes mental math, but students should be able to show thinking when the task requires it.

If we don’t practice that consistently, it’s unrealistic to expect it under pressure.

3. Reduce Cognitive Load with Strategic Support

In my article about the brain dump strategy, I described a simple but powerful tool: at the start of the test, students write down key information they might need.

• Formulas
• Conversion reminders
• Fraction models
• Notes to self like “label units.”

This helps manage working memory so students can use their energy for problem-solving.

If a student knows gallon conversions will appear, drawing a quick visual at the beginning frees up brain space for reasoning later.

That builds confidence which in turn builds stamina.

4. Teach Test Anxiety Regulation Strategies

Stamina is also emotional. Students need tools for when they feel stuck.

• Deep breathing
• Positive self-talk
• Breaking the test into sections
• Skipping and returning strategically

This is the type of preparation you can engage students in all year long. When students know what to do with their anxiety, they are far more likely to persist. (There’s a great Edutopia article on helping young students recognize and manage cognitive overload.)

There’s also an equity lens here. When tools and expectations are inconsistent, the most confident students find their way through. The students who rely on structure and clear routines are left guessing. Consistent language, modeling, and accountability create access. They make the work predictable, which lowers anxiety and allows more students to engage in real reasoning. That’s equitable instruction.

K–2 Teachers: You’re Building Stamina Right Now

You may be thinking, “But my students aren’t taking the big state test.” True. But you are constantly hearing, “Prepare them for next year.”

Here’s what actually prepares them:

• Teaching them to make sense of math stories
• Requiring them to show their thinking
• Giving them consistent structures and language
• Holding them accountable to those expectations

If they develop those habits in first and second grade, they won’t need a crash course later. We don’t build stamina in March of third grade; we build it in daily instruction across years.

It’s Not Too Late

Haven’t been holding students to this all year? Start now. 

Effective test prep moving forward:

• Require structures consistently
• Practice use of scratch paper during digital tasks
• Model and practice a brain dump
• Use low-stakes, discussion-based review instead of marathon packets
• Revisit the math main idea before solving

Stamina isn’t built by pressure, but by preparation.

Let’s name the reality: scores matter. I’m not pretending they don’t.

Here’s what I know from years in classrooms: students who reason instead of guess perform better. When they understand what they’re doing and trust their tools, scores improve as a byproduct of comprehension. Chasing points through pressure creates short-term compliance. Building understanding creates durable results.

When students understand what they’re doing, trust the tools they’ve practiced, and feel equipped to manage stress, they can sustain thinking for as long as they need to.

And that’s what we actually want.