By: Erik Slagle

Full disclosure: I am not a psychologist or counselor. I would never advise on subjects like test anxiety without firmly recommending you work with a learning specialist who can give you a more accurate definition and diagnosis. So please don’t take this column for more than what it is: my observations and experience gathered over 20+ years in the test prep and college admissions field.

I’m also a parent of a high school student who will soon be coming up on her own college applications journey, including the SAT and ACT. I want to help the students I work with manage the pressure of the process just as I’d help my daughter manage hers. If it’s been suggested that your high schooler might experience test anxiety around standardized exams like the SAT, ACT, NJSLA, NJGPA or others – or if you feel like they “just freeze up” during these kinds of exams – this column might help.

I’ve worked with hundreds of kids across all levels of the academic spectrum over the years. I can confidently say that anxiety or nervousness on Test Day can significantly impact your score more than some gaps in academic knowledge. Once the nerves take over, the logical side of the brain defers to the emotional side and test strategy goes out the window. Students move from educated strategic guessing to selecting random answers or leaving questions blank because they fear getting something wrong.

But it’s easier said than done: just don’t get nervous! How do you train yourself to stay calm on Test Day when faced with tough material or when that voice that says, “This is going badly!” starts to rear its head?

Two suggestions: one, remind yourself that this is not a school test, and it’s not scored the same way. In school, you start with 100 points and lose points every time you get something wrong. On the SAT, for example, you’re scored only on what you get right. You’re starting from 400 points and have nowhere to go but up! So, if you missed a question, you didn’t lose anything – you just didn’t add any points for that one.

And that’s built from Point 2: your goals on the SAT or ACT aren’t the same as what you’re getting in school! You wouldn’t go into a Math test, for example, hoping for a 75 or maybe even an 80. That’s C+/B- level. On the SAT, though, 75% moves you into another score bracket!

Put another way, you can get 25% of the SAT wrong and STILL get a great score! So, you have a budget for incorrect answers. Take advantage of it! Check out some sample SAT scales from the College Board and see for yourself – decide what score you want to get and look at the number of wrong answers you can get and still hit the mark. You might be surprised!

Test anxiety is a real thing, no doubt about it. Not only is it unproductive on Test Day, but it’s also avoidable! Remember these tips the next time you take a practice test and see if you can’t get your nervousness in check!