Whatever was filling your Thanksgiving plate last week, I know one thing the standardized test-takers among you still have on your plate right now: stress. Possibly so much that you (ironically) can’t even find time to figure out how to de-stress.
If that sounds familiar, you’ve come to the right place. Sure, there are plenty of anxiety resources out there on the internet. But as an admissions and test prep professional, I’ve researched and developed a number of techniques designed specifically to defeat test-related stress.
My blog has dedicated free posts to explaining each of these techniques. Today’s post is a masterlist that summarizes each of those articles so you can find them more easily. Read on to find a method/framework perfectly suited to whichever type(s) of anxiety you’re dealing with.
These tips will help you diagnose and heal what ails you….so you can get back to acing those tests/midterms/applications!
CONTENTS
Feeling like a deer in the headlights as spring semester approaches? Need help getting motivated to tackle the second half of 11th or 12th grade? A triumphant junior year begins with your mindset, so check out these two articles if you need help in that domain:
Perfectionism Hurts Your SAT/ACT Score
Are you pulling your hair out over the SAT/ACT? This article breaks down—point by point—how perfectionist tendencies can actually lower your score…and what to do instead. Sometimes you just need a reality check to break out of the perfectionist trap. That’s where this post comes in!
Nervous about Junior Spring? Here's How to Survive it
Feeling so freaked out about testing and coursework that you just want to throw in the towel on both fronts? This pep talk will help you start next semester with excitement and focus instead of fear and resistance.
Organizing your time during test-prep is always a tall order...and it's even harder during a semester as packed as this one. Consult the below items for some muscular help detangling your schedule.
How to Find Study Time for the SAT or ACT
Now that you’ve decided not to give up on the whole testing thing, how are you actually supposed to make time in that tight schedule to prep for your ACT or SAT?! As a professional schedule-maker, please allow me to explain.
This one will help make sure you and your well-meaning but anxious parents are aligned about how effective studying actually works. Study sessions should be for improving your scores, NOT for doing busy-work (and retaking the test a million times) just because. Send this one to your mom or dad!
How to Get Over Test Anxiety By Making a Big-Picture Framework
Sometimes what makes test prep intimidating is the fact that you don’t really know how high your score needs to be….to get into the colleges YOU want to attend. The result is a nervewracking, constant sense that you should be doing MORE, no matter how much you’re already doing. This post helps you figure out exactly what your score should be, and then make a study plan to get your practice test scores up to that point. This one’s all about working smart, not hard.
As test dates approach, you need a concrete plan for managing stress and anxiety to keep these unwelcome guests from affecting your score! Here are some of my favorite ways to clear your head on, and right before, test day.
5 Mental Exercises to Become a Better Test-Taker
Still in the end stages of studying? Great! That means you've got time to use these Mental Mastery Techniques to raise your scores!
The Truth About Test Anxiety and How to Overcome It
Do you think you might be experiencing more pre-test nerves than other people? This article goes into what may cause really overwhelming test anxiety, as well as one technique (“three points of contact”) for dealing with it when it comes up when you’re in the testing seat. It’s amazing how effective this technique has been for some of my more anxiety-prone students.
This article shows you step-by-step how to employ another of my trademark anxiety-busting techniques. You’ll be breathing easier in no time (so that you can stop focusing on your racing heart…and START focusing on that trig problem!)
How to Beat Test Anxiety: Tips for Perfectionists AND Slackers
How about some strategies you can use in the weeks before the test? Here are some very brief practices you can start incorporating into your life NOW so that your mental chatter is way less deafening come test day.
I'm sending you good vibes during this busy, stressful time. And if what you need to make it less busy and stressful is personalized help from an expert, you can always contact me here.
OR, if private tutoring doesn’t fit your budget or study style, never fear! This online course is for lone wolves and budget-conscious studiers:
This is a completely digital, completely self-directed video class that will help you overcome your test anxiety once and for all. I walk you through over a DOZEN tricks and strategies for keeping calm and testing on. The hacks in today’s post are just the beginning! My binge-able, rewatchable course is designed to help even the most nervous test-takers get the high scores they’ve earned.
