Going Into the SAT Cold: Fear and Anxiety Take Over

“Before taking the SAT, I experienced the typical slew of stressors: What’s going to be on it? What if I get the test and completely blank? What if I fail miserably and I can’t go to my dream college? All of these questions went unanswered until I finally sat down with my number two pencil and took the SAT. It was a nauseating experience, filled with confusion, stress sweats and the rumble of my empty stomach (thank goodness I brought Wheat Thins).”

“Looking back as a sophomore in college, I can appreciate the benefits of preparatory work. Going in blind to any test is never a good idea, and if I had received guidance early on, taking the SAT would have been a much smoother effort. The problem was, there was not much access at my school for SAT prep. I went to my teachers, guidance counselors, and department heads for help, and they pointed me in all sorts of directions, none of which lead anywhere productive. This only made me more concerned than I had been before. As the test date approached nearer, I felt all the more helpless.” – Stephanie Santos, Boston Tutoring Services

Many students deal with extreme stress and anxiety around the SAT test, because they do not feel as if they have anyone who will be able to lead them by the hand through the process. There is so much content to learn and beyond that, the test is designed in such a way that is meant to trick you. If you don’t have any idea what you are expecting, even if you feel confident in your skills, you will get tripped up time and again.

Starting early on test preparation will ensure that you do not have to go through this alone. A tutor can learn the way that you approach the test and then devise specific strategies for you, in order to make you feel confident about going in on test day. Some students feel extreme anxiety about the vocabulary on the verbal section, and some look at the multiple-choice math questions and panic. No matter what it is that scares you, having preparation beforehand will allow you to feel more confident on test day, and will increase your test score as a result.