The week before the SAT or ACT can be a hectic week. Here are a few tips on how to get through the week and be your best self on test day!
For your body—Pretend that you are going to run a marathon instead of take a test.
For your mind—Pretend like it is a final for school
The number one tip: Focus and don’t panic
Take time this week to focus on your goals. Visualize what you are about to do and why. Doing the best you can do
on this test will help your chances of getting into your dream college. Think about your dream college and imagine
yourself walking through the quad, happily going to your favorite class while the fall air is crisp around you. Listen
to music that will keep you calm and ready to do what you know you can do.
Remember not to panic. When I explain to my students the importance of not panicking on the test, I tell them
about this NPR interview I heard a few years back. This guy was deep sea scuba diving and surfaced to find out
that his entire crew, including the boat, was gone and all he could see for miles and miles was ocean. The
interviewer was horrified and asked him what his next move was. The guy replied something along the lines of
“Well, I had two choices: to panic or stay calm. If I panicked, I would most definitely die. If I stayed calm, I might
live. So I decided to stay calm.” That’s you. You have a choice. If you get to a difficult passage or question, stay
calm and you might get through it and still do well. If you panic, you’ll crash and burn.
Good Luck!