Master Text Anxiety (Part 1)

Transform SAT/ACT Struggles into Lifelong Success

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?

While this can be very frustrating for your teen – and you – consider the opportunity this situation presents!

Your teenager can transform their struggles with the SAT or ACT into success -- not just on the SAT or ACT, but success for life. 

How?  By learning to handle the pressure.  Successful people in all walks of life learn how to perform well under pressure.  

Facing pressure with poise and self-confidence is a skill that will serve your teenager well long after their SAT or ACT score is a distant memory. 

The Problem of Test Anxiety

First of all, understand that your teenager is not alone!

An estimated 10-40% of students experience anxiety on the SAT or ACT. 

It is a keenly frustrating experience.  Very likely, your teenager has done well in school, shown capability, and now faces a 2-3 hour test that appears to stand in the way of their dreams.  

To take a step toward the solution, let’s take a closer look at the problem.

The problem arises for a very basic reason:  pressure.

Take a look around: for a teen, pressure is everywhere! 

• There’s the pressure of family expectations.
• There’s the pressure they feel when they compare themselves with siblings and peers.
• There’s the pressure that comes from what they hear about how competitive things are and their worry about the future.
  

Sometimes, they have not prepared in the right way, so they’ve not built true confidence, and that adds to their sense of pressure.

On top of all that is pressure that’s simply built into the SAT / ACT experience because teens misunderstand what the tests are all about.

Teens approach these tests as if they were intelligence tests:  they see them as a measure of how smart they are.

Who wouldn’t feel pressure in taking a test if they thought that the test could reveal that they’re not smart?

Is it any wonder that a teenager may begin to see the big test as a “life or death” situation? 

Like it or not, a young person’s self-esteem gets wrapped up in how well they do on these tests.

And so – more pressure.

Awareness is the first step toward mastery of the problem. 

In part 2 of this article, I’ll share with you how test anxiety works, how it may interfere with your teenager’s performance on big tests.  

With that understanding in hand, you’ll be empowered to help guide your teen to transform their struggles with test anxiety into an opportunity for lifelong success. 

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