After achieving a relatively high score on my SAT's, I have had several people come up to me and ask, "How did you get to be so smart?"  I generally give a short response because I tend to be busy. In this article, however, I will give all the answers I know.
A good portion of intelligence is genetics. Some people are just born smarter. All this means is that they can concentrate better. Intelligence is concentration. Even if you concentrate well, there are probably things you can do to improve.
The first step to concentration is clearing the body. There is a strong connection between body and mind. The best way to clear the body is vigorous exercise an hour of two before you intend to concentrate. During Regents week, I always ride my bike to school in order to accomplish this. In a pinch, some simple stretching exercises a few minutes before will go a long way towards helping you concentrate.
The second step is clearing the mind. Everyone does this their own way. One way I heard and sometimes use is called image integration. First, close your eyes and visualize a relaxing scene. Practically any scene will do: a forest, a barbecue, or a concert. Just make sure it stimulates all five senses. In other words, make it colorful, loud, smelly, hot, cold, bitter, WHATEVER! Just make it complicated. Visualize this scene for about 30 seconds to a minute. The next step is to allow this scene to fade. Do not force it. Let it happen naturally. Allow it to blend with a single color. I generally choose light blue. At the end, only the color should remain. All other sights, sounds, smells, touches and tastes should disappear. While your scene is fading, your breathing should slow to about six breaths per minute. Getting to the one color should take another three seconds to a minute. Being able to do all this in a stretch can take some practice, but after getting the hang of it, you'll always find yourself using it.
Now that you've cleared your body and your mind, you'll find yourself very focused. Until the test paper lands on your desk. What do you do now? Some people panic at the sight of a test. A few years ago, I did the same thing. The trick is to convince yourself the test is easy. This is called auto suggestion. Simply repeat to yourself that the test is easy. You might not believe it at first, but you will be more relaxed. And when you get a high score on your test, you'll believe yourself the next time you say a test is easy, and you'll be able to get an even higher score. By the way, auto suggestion works in a lot of other ways, too. Using it, you can improve your performance in sports, your delivery of speeches, and your ability to do things you previously thought impossible.
That's all there is to it. With a combination of concentration and auto suggestion, you can achieve the impossible, whether it be scoring higher on the SAT's, or becoming president. You can do it now.