here’s no way to sugarcoat it: testing can be stressful. It forces us to take a hard look at our abilities and limitations. The prep requires committed, long-term work. The possibility that we won’t succeed can produce all kinds of anxieties. Learning to manage these factors is a crucial (but often overlooked) aspect of test prep.
Doing so is important not only for maintaining mental health. It also determines the score we ultimately achieve, because our emotions and our wider frame of mind together act as a gatekeeper for learning and performance.
Thus, when preparing for any test, it’s crucial to know how to manage the nuances of your individual psychology—and to develop the self-discipline to do so consistently. In this post, we home in on the key tips for coping effectively with internal resistance during prep and on test day. Learning and practicing these skills can make lasting improvements to the quality of your focus and, in turn, pay huge score dividends.
Show up prepared
Achieving real focus can be tricky in the best of circumstances. Don’t make it any harder by failing to show up ready for your test prep sessions. Have your work printed, papers organized, computer charged, and pencil case fully stocked. Remember to bring any necessary equipment, such as a graphing calculator (and batteries). Ensure you have a stable internet connection if needed for online prep. Last but certainly not least, arrive at your sessions with an agenda (containing three goals or fewer) for what you want to get done in the amount of time that you have.
Get it done — the right way
First and foremost, you have to complete the prep work you schedule—no excuses. And that is not all: when you’re preparing, you should work as if you were in a test. A favorite coach once told me that the secret to his success as a player was that he always “practiced as if [he was] actually playing the game.” To realize your true score potential, you must give nothing less than your absolute best from day one of the preparation process.
Overcome the fear of failure — and transcend the fear of success
Any number of thought patterns can cause internal resistance that will impede your progress in preparation. For different students, this might be a fear of success (“I don’t want to go to Chicago,”), a fear of failure (“What if I don’t get in?”), or even both. Students have to face this internal resistance head on. You’re in the arena. This is your shot. Compete. Every day you show up on time, do your absolute best to stay focused, and complete sessions strongly, you add 10 or more points to your score.
Outside factors like competition and peer pressure can also create internal resistance. Although a healthy competitive spirit can provide excellent motivation, you should generally avoid comparing yourself with peers. As in life, there will nearly always be someone who seems smarter or better qualified. Make a conscious effort to take pride in your own achievements and to measure your success based on internal goals and aspirations.
Your real competition
Simply put, you need to get over the comparison with your sister, brother, best friend, kid-at-the-front-of-the-class, mother, father, aunt, uncle, etc. Perhaps you feel dejected because things seem to come more easily for them. Maybe you nose-dive whenever you hear about their success and feel that they are progressing more quickly than you. If any of this sounds familiar, hear this: the only person you should compare yourself to is your ideal self. Behave today as if you were the person you wish to be tomorrow. If you work harder—and smarter—than you ever have before, you’ll find that eventually you can perform to your potential. But you must refocus yourself on what really matters and what’s really going to produce results. Believe it: the more you do to condition yourself to perform to task, the more your attitude and behavioral habits will improve, and the higher your score will be.
In moments of self-doubt, always bring your focus back to the person you want to be. Maybe you’re scared of success because it means you’re going to have to change, and the comfortable world you live in is going to vanish. You know what? It probably will. And you know what? Thank goodness. Because what will appear in its place is a different world, one that’s much, much better—because you’ll be honoring your true self and living the life that you truly yearn to experience. This is an opportunity for you to take control of your future, perhaps even to rewrite it. It will take time. It will take energy. It will take resilience. But it will happen. If you jump in, you will succeed, and you will look back on this journey as one of the formative experiences of your life.
This post is adapted from the book Great Expectations: Your Family’s Roadmap to Guaranteed SAT/ACT Success by Chris Ajemian.
