9 Ways to Help Your Student or Child Combat ACT and SAT Test Anxiety
This article was written by our partner, Scoir, the College & Career Network. Learn more about our partnership here.
In a teenager’s world, standardized tests can feel like a huge, terrifying obstacle to overcome. It’s not unusual for teens to equate their worth with a grade or a score.
Not to mention all the “what ifs?” your teen may be experiencing:
“What if I haven’t prepared enough?”
“What if I fail?”
“What if my friends score better than me?”
The stress your teenager is feeling right now likely signifies a deeper need beneath these questions. The key to supporting your child or student with test anxiety is getting to the core of what your student needs, or the true causes of the test anxiety.
That may seem daunting! Odds are, you may be feeling a lot of anxiety yourself. Your student is about to go to college, potentially leaving you with an emptier nest. You’re concerned about your child’s feelings and their performance.
Thankfully, there are some simple things you can do to help your student or child reduce ACT and SAT stress or teenage test anxiety in general. Read on to discover how.
9 Ways to Help a Student or Child with Test Anxiety on ACT or SAT Test Day
Help prevent ACT and SAT stress from stealing your student’s joy with these 9 tips.
1. Make an anxiety battle plan for test day
With 10-40% of students experiencing test anxiety, your student is not alone.
A great first step is to sit down with your student and determine some actionable ways to reduce anxiety leading up to the standardized test.
Here are some details to account for leading up to test time:
- When will you go to bed the night before the test?
- When will you wake up the morning of the test?
- What will you eat for breakfast?
- What will you wear?
- What will you bring to the test? (And what will you leave behind?)
- When will you leave for the test?
- Where will the test be taken?
Make sure your student knows exactly how to get to the testing room. They can even do a rehearsal if that helps!
This Test Anxiety Infographic that Test Innovators created with Scoir is perfect to print out for reference!
Check out these test anxiety resources for even more ideas.
2. Emphasize that test scores do not define worth
While test scores are important for college admissions, they are not the sole deciding factor. In fact, many schools are now test optional! Remind your student of their other successes during their high school career that they can share on their college application, such as:
- Good grades
- Extracurricular involvement
- Leadership roles
- Volunteer work
- Work experience
- Hobbies
- Group projects
Writing these down can boost your student’s confidence. Plus, it doubles as the first draft of a college resume.
3. Exercise together the day before and the morning of
Even a 10-minute walk around the block can boost your mood. Plus, it’s a great time to connect with your student and check in with how they’re feeling.
You can remind them that they’ve done all the hard work and preparation already! They’ve done everything they needed to do to prepare at this point, and no matter the outcome, you are there to support and love them.
4. Encourage healthy sleep habits
Encourage your student to get enough sleep by having a consistent sleep schedule the week leading up to test day.
Consider trying a household wind-down routine. You can turn off devices an hour before bed, dimming the lights, and laying out your clothes for the next day.
It may be tempting to continue studying into the night. At this point, the quality of your student’s sleep is likely more important than getting an extra hour of test prep in.
5. Do fun things together leading up to the test
Encourage your student to tap into their support system. You could urge them to spend time with friends or family. Or, you could plan a fun afternoon with your student that will help them recharge their batteries.
This is such a great skill for students to learn, especially as they head into college and adulthood.
6. Plan something to look forward to after the test
Celebrate the hard work your student has done! How do they like to celebrate?
Here are some celebratory ideas:
- Plan a fun weekend to visit one of your student’s top choice colleges
- Go out to eat or make a favorite dinner at home
- Plan a day to do absolutely nothing and rest
Whatever your celebration of choice is, ensure that it will be free of stress and a good fit for your student. Having something to look forward to can help lessen standardized test anxiety.
7. Meditate and practice mindfulness
Mindfulness is proven to help reduce teenage test anxiety. Simply taking a moment to step away and focus on your breathing for a minute can put the situation in perspective.
Follow along to a 5-minute meditation video with your student, and see how you both feel afterwards.
Deep breathing is a great exercise to practice during the test as well. Let your student know that if they feel anxiety coming up during the test, just pause and take one big, deep breath. It can help more than you may think!
8. Explore more self-care strategies
When your student is in the throes of teenage test anxiety, it can be hard to remember what actually helps them feel better.
Sit down with your student and write down some things they love to do. Think: hobbies, favorite movies, music, games, etc.
Then, your student can quickly refer to this list whenever they feel anxiety coming on
9. Practice!
One of the best ways to prevent ACT or SAT stress is to take full-length practice tests.
Unknowns can be terrifying. Taking a couple of hours to set up your space like it’s the actual test day, and taking the entire practice test, can help your child know exactly what to expect. Every time a test is completed, your student can say to themselves: “I can do it!”
As your student practices, they will build the confidence they need to face the test with less anxiety.
Keep in mind that test scores are just one data point. ACT and SAT stress may feel overwhelming for your student now, but building perseverance will help carry them through college and their career. They’ve got this!
Eager to start the college discovery process? We think Scoir is a great place to start! 😉 Scoir will help you and your child or student discover colleges, find best-fit colleges, and even apply, when it’s time.
Originally published on July 11, 2023. Updated on January 18, 2024.
