By: Dr. Steve Salvatore, Co-Owner of The Academy
Stressed out students: if you’re in the midst of winter mid-term and SAT preps, there’s a simple thing you can do that can help relieve your anxiety and improve your test scores.
Teenagers are often most stressed when it comes to the “big” test. New research has found that when students spend 10 minutes writing about their fears just before a test, their scores improved. Researchers say that “expressive writing” about an anxiety filled event is an effective way to channel worrying about the actual experience. It seems that letting it all out by just writing about your feelings can help relieve your stress and boost performance.
The AAPT Blog 
I absolutely agree with this. It’s important for students to utilize positive self-talk and de-stressing techniques before any big test. Going into a test stressed out is an overload to the brain – it can’t focus on the test other than the stress ABOUT the test. You just can’t think straight and, thus, you do poorly.
I think it’s important for students to focus on time management and test planning as well. Sometimes they don’t give themselves enough time to prepare for big tests like the SAT, and very often “cramming” happens which then increases their anxiety tenfold. Taking a little bit of time everday to prepare over a several month span can decrease anxiety and boost confidence greatly….not to mention improve performance!