Overcoming Test-Anxiety
One of the most common things parents are concerned about
when they call to inquire about our test prep classes is test anxiety. They say such things as “my son just freezes
up on tests” or “my daughter knows the material but her tests don’t show
it.” In my experience, most of the time,
the best way to handle this anxiety is through being thoroughly prepared. When a student knows what to expect from the
test and has spent some time getting ready, they almost always do better. Often not knowing what to expect causes
students to panic and rush through the test.
Here are some tips for students to better manage test anxiety:
- For the SAT and ACT, make sure that you spend several weeks getting ready. I recommend at least 4 weeks if possible.
- Set up a consistent schedule that you can stick to. Try to set aside at least 2-3 times per week to work on your preparation.
- Learn how to pace yourself by doing timed sections so that you know how far you can get in the time allotted.
- For the ACT, make sure you study common math formulas such as those for area and volume. Also, make sure you know the basic sine, cosine, and tangent ratios.
- For the SAT, make sure you study vocabulary flashcards to prepare for the sentence completion questions. Strengthening your vocabulary will also help with reading comprehension. Flashcards are available at your local bookstore or you can add a free app to your smartphone.
- For free prep materials, check out www.collegeboard.com for the SAT and www.actstudent.org for the ACT. Both of these website have a lot of practice questions and each site has a practice test.
- Plan to take at least 1 or 2 full practice tests.
- Take an SAT Course.
James Pipkin is a tutor at Knowledge Guides, a private testing
preparation and tutoring agency. He may be contacted at 817-451-6200 or teachco1@swbell.net.
