Does your teenager get anxious on big tests, like the SAT and ACT?
Do they do OK in the classroom, OK in practice, and then fall flat come test day?
And if they take the big test again, does the cycle repeat?
Your teenager can turn this challenge into an opportunity for success – not just on the SAT, but for life!
We know that test anxiety can shut down your teenager's performance on the SAT or ACT.
But now, let's look at the real gem that's hidden in all this difficulty.
What's the bigger opportunity here?
What can your teenager learn that will actually dwarf whatever they learn academically from preparing for the test?
They'll learn how to handle pressure!!
That's right. Let me say it again. They'll learn how to handle pressure!
That's a skill they can benefit from greatly for their entire life.
The most successful people in all walks of life learn how to handle pressure.
When your teenager's SAT or ACT score is a distant memory, they could still be thriving because they'velearned how to handle pressure.
So how do they do that? How do they learn to master the pressure?
Here's how:
When your teenager approaches the SAT or ACT as a game of skill they take some of the pressure off from the start.
If they are no longer approaching the thing as some sort of intelligence test, then it's no longer about how smart they are, is it?
So their sense of self-worth is no longer wrapped up in the test.
It's just about learning to play the game.
And a game is something they can relate to!
Many students already have a game they play actively.
Some play sports -- like football, tennis, golf, or gymnastics
Some do dance or martial arts
Some play music or performing arts
They may already be successful in one of these games.
Once they’ve made up their mind to approach the SAT/ACT as a game of skill, they can then focus on learning their new game!
Each game they play has certain fundamentals. Certain keys to success
And so does the SAT or ACT.
The SAT or ACT, like any other game of skill, can be broken down into fundamentals and mastered with consistent practice over time.
So their new game, the SAT or ACT, becomes something that they can approach, something that they can see themselves learning -- maybe even enjoying!
This is the master strategy for success in all the games we play:
Top performers learn how to do this:
they learn to care and not care at the same time.
They care by focusing on great practice and not care when it comes to performance.
When it comes to performance they trust and allow their great practice to work for them!
This is a master skill for handling pressure and for high performance: let go of the outcome!
Focus on the game, and let your scores be a by-product of your great practice.
There are great examples for this is the world of sports.
Legendary college basketball coach John Wooden defined success as effort and attitude.
Each year, he would say to his teams:
I'm not going to tell you we'll win the national championship this year.
I will tell you that we'll practice like champions.
And just so you know: Wooden's teams won an incredible ten national championships
Your teenager can learn to apply this same strategy of success to SAT / ACT training.
They can focus on their game, develop successful habits of thinking, feeling, and learning
And the high scores will follow -- simply as a by-product of their successful practice.
In part 4 of this article, I’ll talk about your role as a parent and share with you the single most important thing you can do to help your teenager handle the pressure of the SAT or ACT!
