NATCHEZ &8212; Administrators have confidence, now they just want their students to believe in themselves.

Success on this week&8217;s state tests will depend on the students, and there&8217;s always room for last -minute tips.

The Mississippi Curriculum Test quizzes only what students should already know. If they&8217;ve succeeded in school this year, they&8217;ll succeed on the test.

Don&8217;t stress over the content, Morgantown Principal Fred Marsalis said. And focus on those test-taking skills teachers have been preaching.

&8220;Two (multiple choice answers) can usually be eliminated,&8221; Marsalis said. &8220;Use the process of elimination.&8221;

It&8217;s also important that students don&8217;t get hung up on one problem, Robert Lewis Middle School math teacher Leigh Anne Mason said during a test preparation workshop. If students get stuck on a problem, they should make an educated guess and move on, Mason said.

The test is not timed, but students who spend too much time on one question can become discouraged or mentally tired before answering the others, she said. Questions do not get progressively harder.

Keeping a clear mind throughout the test is important, Marsalis said.

&8220;Go in and concentrate,&8221; he said. &8220;Don&8217;t concentrate on things outside the testing area.&8221;

RLMS Principal Bettye Bell said the best thing students can do today and during the test week to prepare is to study the test-taking skills, not the content.

&8220;They need to believe they are going to achieve,&8221; she said. &8220;Don&8217;t self doubt yourself.&8221;

And ultimately, the advice is simple, Marsalis said.

&8220;Do your best on the test,&8221; he said.

Second- through eighth-graders and Natchez public schools will take the MCT Tuesday through Thursday.