Most 11th and 12th graders know they’ll dedicate a fair amount of time to learning content for the Digital SAT and ACT: math, grammar, vocabulary, etc. But the more clever students (like you!) also put the hours in to master test-taking strategies, from test-wide guidelines like when it’s wise to guess to more section-specific methods like how to approach ACT Science “fork” questions.
This is all good stuff, imho. As a professional ACT and SAT tutor, I get excited about helping students learn and implement ALL of these approaches! But even someone who’s got content and strategy completely under their belt might STILL find themselves languishing below the target score they need to hit to get into their #1 college. That’s because there’s a third major aspect to standardized testing that you also need to address: your headspace (i.e. test anxiety or even simple test-day nerves!). Luckily, this post is going to tell you all about it, and how to get it under control.
ARTICLE CONTENTS
1. Watch this article as a video
2. The third testing factor: Test Anxiety
3. What to do about it?: Page Turn Zen
4. Digital version of this method
6. How to practice this technique
7. Conclusion
Video version of this article:
Test Anxiety Definition
Yes, the third factor that can SERIOUSLY impact your SAT or ACT score is the psychological aspect of test-taking. In other words: Test Anxiety. I’m here to tell you: if you’re struggling with it, there’s nothing wrong with you. And there ARE concrete ways to conquer it.
The problem is, most test prep programs and tutoring companies don’t directly address this crucial issue. Instead, they use a “brute force” approach, barraging you with endless practice sets and work-for-work’s-sake in the hopes that your score will just magically improve with time.
They aren’t accounting for the fact that the core issue is often psychological. No matter how much information you cram into your brain, if you are one of the many students affected by test anxiety, then you know first-hand how INSTANTLY the new material you reviewed yesterday can vanish the moment the you open to Question 1 on test day.
I notice test anxiety in my new clients all the time. It has many different faces:
Juniors and Seniors feeling so much pressure from the college admissions marathon that they over-analyze themselves in circles during a test sitting.
High-achieving, highly meticulous students who second- and third-guess themselves, often switching their correct answers to incorrect ones out of fear.
Students who use up so much of their brain power anxiously ruminating that they don’t even finish the section they’re staring at. This can especially paralyze students who think they’re “bad” at math!
Does one (or more) of these sound familiar? Fear not: I teach you to stay calm in the very next section!
Page Turn Zen: Calm Test-Day Nerves
So I hope we’re all on the same “page” (see what I did there?) at this point: if you’re going to grab an excellent score on the ACT or SAT, you need to stay calm. You must be able to focus and think clearly. The other posts in my series on Test Anxiety have brought you a variety of strategies for doing so, from making three points of contact while you’re in the testing seat to wrangling the often-intimidating prep process by making “frameworks” for each section of the exam.
Now it’s time to learn about another strategy. It involves learning simply to be present. In the moment. In your body.
How to Stay Relaxed with Page Turn Zen
1) Whenever you reach the beginning of a new section of the test, AND whenever you are about to turn the page (hence the title of this post), PAUSE.
2) Close your eyes.
3) Take three deep breaths.
4) While you’re breathing, notice where you feel the breath in your body.
Digital Version of Page Turn Zen
In the next section, I’ll explain why this method works wonders. But first, let's talk about how to make this strategy work on a computer. Because if you're taking the Digital SAT or the Enhanced ACT on a computer, you’re working with a mouse, keyboard, and screen…and therefore do NOT have pages to turn. Duh! But that DOESN’T mean you can’t use this fantastic form of mental balm. You just need to use a variation on the page-based method.
On the Enhanced ACT
Let's say you chose to take the ACT on a laptop or desktop instead of on paper.
You're going to do Page Turn Zen at the beginning of each section.
And for sections that contain passages—the English section, the Reading section, the (optional) Science section—you would do Page Turn Zen before diving into each passage.
For Math, you'll do your three breaths every 10th problem. So you would do Page Turn Zen before you start the section. And then you would repeat the exercise when you get to question #10, question #20, question #30, and question #40.
On the Digital SAT
Now let's talk Digital SAT. When would you implement Page Turn Zen on that test? Unlike the Enhanced ACT, we don't have passages on the Digital SAT; every question is discreet. So, we’re going to have to get a little more creative.
You’re going to do your calming exercise at the beginning of each module. (That’s four places total: two Reading & Writing modules, and two Math modules.)
The Reading & Writing modules each have 27 questions. So you’re ALSO going to take your three breaths every six questions. So that comes out to doing Page Turn Zen right before Question 6, Question 12, Question 18, and Question 24.
You can do the same throughout the Math module, so that would be right before Question 6, Question 12 and Question 18 of each module.
Capisce?
Why this de-stressing hack works
Now let’s dive into why, exactly, Page Turn Zen works so well for my students…and will work for you, too!
To be effective on long tests, you need to begin each section with a crystal-clear mind. And you can help clear your mind by periodically centering yourself for a few moments.
As the problems in a section get harder—especially Math, I’ve found—students can start to get more and more wound up. And who can blame them? That very first problem you can’t solve (or can’t solve right away) can really throw off your confidence. That’s why it’s important to STOP the accelerating stress and return to reality at every page turn (or every new module, etc.).
Closing your eyes helps you remember that no one else in the exam room matters. You are in control here (plus, you’ve got your lucky blue sweatpants backing you up). For the ten seconds when you do Page Turn Zen, not even that next test question staring back at you from the page/screen can hurt you.
The span of three deep breaths takes about 10 to 15 seconds, which is the amount of time it takes the average person to physiologically relax. (If you’re worried that three breaths will gobble up too much precious test time, then please time yourself taking three breaths with your phone in advance of Test Day to remind yourself that you are, in fact, not wasting a significant amount of time.)
Taking slow breaths will slow down your heart rate, which might be hammering away like a drum solo at the moment. Taking deep breaths helps the oxygen reaches all the cells in your body—especially those precious brain cells!
As you take your three breaths, you are going to focus on the physical sensations you feel in your body. For instance, do you feel an expansion in your chest as you inhale? Warmth on the back of your hands? The breath whistling through your lips as you breathe out? Try to really feel (and, if it’s helpful, silently describe with words) the physical sensations as they occur. Be the curious, neutral observer of your own body. No sensation you notice is “right” or “wrong,” nor is there any symbolic meaning to any of it.
By bringing your focus to the physical sensations you’re feeling for those 10-15 seconds, you are returning to the present moment, hitting “PAUSE” on the frenzied running commentary in your head, and allowing yourself to get back to your default state—the state you deserve to be in: prepared, bright, and effective.
How Not to Stress Out While Taking the SAT or ACT
To get the best results, you should start practicing this method ASAP, in every situation that presents itself! Fortunately, high school provides you with many such opportunities. Diving into your Physics homework? Pause and do Page Turn Zen whenever you are turning a page of your textbook or taking notes on the next page of your notebook. Tackling practice questions of any sort, for your SAT/ACT prep or for your French test? Time for Page Turn Zen. Facing down a Calc problem set? Practice Page Turn Zen before and during your page turns.
You’ll start feeling the results pretty quickly—that little bit of added calm sneaking in between each page of work. And soon, this practice will be so comfortable that you’ll automatically default to it without having to remind yourself to. And THAT’s how you end up increasing your score by leaps and bounds and actually USING all the knowledge you’ve collected in that amazing mind of yours during your months and months of prep.
Conclusion
Even though high-achieving college hopefuls around the world hire me as their standardized testing tutor, I’ve given you this strategy for free…because I really do want you get into your dream school. However, if you’d like more tailored test anxiety help—and tailored help with any other aspect of the SAT and ACT!—reach out to me. I’d be psyched to help you get your highest possible score.
OR, if private tutoring doesn’t fit your budget or study style, never fear! There is an online, self-guided version of my test-day jitters coaching, too:
This is a totally digital, totally self-paced video class that will help you slay the dragon of your test anxiety. I walk you through over a DOZEN tricks and strategies for keeping calm and testing on. If you liked the technique that today’s post outlined, just imagine the kind of score you can achieve with loads MORE of them!
