Watch this article as a video:
Should you change from the SAT to the ACT?
Here’s an all too common kind of test prep anxiety that comes up—especially among people taking the SAT or ACT for the first time. Tell me if any of the below sound like things you’ve experienced:
It’s just a few weeks before your scheduled Digital SAT or ACT—but in your practice sets, you keep making errors on types of questions you’ve definitely learned thoroughly, like comma usage or compound inequalities.
Maybe you’ve made serious progress in one or two sections (Science or Math, for example), but you have another section (like English) that won’t improve no matter what you do.
You just can’t seem to focus. When you sit down to do another practice test, you hear that insidious little voice in your head whispering, “what’s the point?” or “you’re going to screw it up anyways.”
In fact, that mean-spirited inner critic has gotten SO LOUD these days that you’ll do ANYTHING to make it shut up!
And that voice knows JUST what you should do to make those nagging doubts disappear: SWITCH TO THE OTHER TEST!
In other words, if you’re studying for the ACT, you’re now constantly fantasizing about throwing in the towel and taking the Digital SAT instead. After all, you’ve been struggling a bit with timing—and the SAT gives you more time, right?
Whereas if you’re signed up to take the SAT, you’re starting to dream of changing course to the ACT: I mean, gosh, wouldn’t it be nice for those reading texts and math word problems to be more straightforward?
Look, I hear you. This line of thinking all seems SO rational, SO real, SO valid.
I’m I here to tell you it’s not a reflection of reality, and it’s almost certainly not in your best interest.
Why do we get cold feet before tests?
To explain how I could possibly know what’s going on in YOUR head (and what you should do about it), let me share a story from my own life. A few years back, I did something a little bonkers. I walked on fire…in my bare feet. Well, to be clear, the fire had gone out, so I just walked on 2,000-degree coals for about 9 or 10 steps, but still. (Reader, please do NOT try this at home!) And MAN, in the hours leading up to my fire walk, my mind was flooded by every single reason why I shouldn’t do it:
I might burn my feet! And not be able to wear my fancy shoes at my wedding ceremony in just a few weeks!
Even worse: what if I get so frightened by the heat that I fall in the coals and burn my face?!
What’s the point? I mean, do I really need to walk on burning coals to show myself that I can? What am I really going to get out of it?
And also, I know I could do it if I wanted to…so why do I have to actually do it? I know I could.
It’s midnight, and I’m BEAT! I should peace out and go home. I’m not really missing anything. It’s not really going to change my life in any way.
I promised my fiancée I wouldn’t.
It wasn’t until I heard friend of mine—who was also participating in the fire walk—start to articulate some of these exact same doubts that I had a sudden realization: these aren’t real, valid “reasons” not to do something—they’re just FEAR. Fear, pure and simple.
So, my tried-and-true words of wisdom to you, high school juniors and seniors who are convinced that you’ve been studying for the wrong test this whole time and now need to change course a week or two before the Digital SAT or ACT: that’s just FEAR talking. In fact, your mind is hard at work creating a perfect storm of codswallop. And we DON’T want to let that storm sweep you away!
How to stay calm before a test
Here’s what got me to go through with it and walk on those extremely hot coals:
I took a deep breath and gently recognized that all of these very rational-seeming reasons were, in fact, total nonsense. Nothing but FEAR taking the reins.
I saw that literally 15,000 other people were undertaking this same challenge…and not getting burned. While I’m proud of the person I am, I’m definitely not so uniquely special as to be the 1 in 15,000 that would get burned.
I reminded myself that I had been training for this challenge. I knew exactly what to do, where to focus my gaze, what mantra to repeat, how to walk.
In that moment before taking my first step with my right foot onto the red coals, I had to just trust my training and the teacher who trained me. And GO!
So if you're about to walk on fire—mentally speaking, by taking your first Digital SAT or ACT—ask yourself these questions before you decide to quit out of fear:
Did I already take diagnostic tests at the beginning of my test prep process to see how I’d do on both tests?
Did I—or a test prep expert—determine which test would be more advantageous for me to do based on those diagnostics?
Have I been progressing on that test? Like, not from last month or last week, but have I gone up AT ALL in ANY SECTION from my first diagnostic test? Even a little bit? Maybe not all the way up to your target score, but at least higher?
If you can answer yes to all three of these questions, which I’m guessing you can, then I promise you, IT’S NOT THE WRONG TEST. YOU’RE JUST NERVOUS. And that’s totally understandable! But nerves are NOT very good decision-makers. They shouldn't dictate your actions with something this important.
Deciding if you should switch from the SAT to the ACT
If you’re convinced you’re different from everybody else (like the other 15,000 people who walked across fire and DIDN’T get burned), then you can always do this simple trick: take a mock test of the one you’re thinking of switching to. It's only a couple of hours, and it might be worth it if it'll really help put your mind at ease.
There are only three things that can happen with this mock test:
You can’t even bring yourself to finish it, because you remember how much you hated the SAT. You now feel soooo glad you eventually chose the ACT, or vice versa.
You CAN get through it, but the score is lower than the test you’re preparing for. (Which we already knew if you took a diagnostic test.)
You score significantly higher on the new test than the old test.
Now, #3 almost NEVER happens, but if you really ARE the 1 in 15,000 who does substantially better on a test you haven’t prepared for and (according to the diagnostic test) initially seemed less suited for, go for it! Register for the next sitting of the new test.
BUT! GO AHEAD AND SIT FOR THE OLD ONE ANYWAYS, please! Trust me. I've seen this flavor of freakout many times. And I’m here to tell you that you’re almost certainly on the right track with the test you’ve been working towards.
Conclusion
If you’re still anxious as to whether you’re signed up for the right test—or how to plan for any other part of the Digital SAT or ACT—I’m here to help calm your mind and concretely improve your results. Learn more about working with me one-on-one, so I can take the daunting big-picture thinking off your plate and YOU can focus on actually studying…and getting the score you deserve!
