Last month, I discussed why maintaining mental equilibrium is a big piece of performing your best on test day—AND a big piece of taking control of your test prep. (If you haven’t read that first article yet, I recommend checking it out first! I’ll still be here when you get back, promise.)
That post also points out the two major “genres” of test anxiety that I tend to encounter among my one-on-one SAT and ACT tutoring clients: the Perfectionist and the Slacker. These two types have different causes, internal logic, and repercussions. However, many people aren’t just one or the other—and many students don’t actually know which one they are, anyways. But more self-knowledge is always a good thing. So in this post about strategies for beating test anxiety, I’m going to focus on the ones that will give you just that: insight into what may be setting YOU back when it comes to SAT/ACT mental turmoil. These strategies will work for both Perfectionists and Slackers, but they’ll also help you get acquainted with the ways you set yourself back—so you can start setting yourself forward and hitting the scores you deserve.
Strategy #2 for Overcoming Test Anxiety: Observing Your Own Mind
We learned in that earlier post that fully being present in your body is the first step to soothing a noisy mind. In fact, if you were able to nix that pesky internal monologue entirely so you could focus solely on the SAT or ACT test questions at hand, our work on this particular issue would be done.
But of course, unless you’re the Dalai Lama, it’s easier said than done to simply “nix that internal monologue.” So I’d like to teach you about the next best thing, which helps get you a lot closer to quieting that brain chatter.
If you’re serious about taming the Test Anxiety dragon, I’d like you to get in the habit of what I (and many mindfulness experts) call observing your own mind. This will pay off, whether you’re a “Slacker” or a “Perfectionist.”
But what do I mean when I say “observing your own mind”?
Well, you don’t need to jump right into STOPPING the thoughts; instead, we want to start by learning to even hear the thoughts to begin with…and then, to acknowledge that they’re ONLY thoughts.
In our era of pop psychology and Instagram infographics, you’ve likely heard of some or all of the below methods. No one is the objectively correct one; instead, you should focus on whichever one you know you can actually implement. Below are some of the most popular options, along with explanations of how they can help you observe your own mind.
Meditation to Calm Yourself for the SAT and ACT
There are almost as many ways to meditate as there are species on planet Earth. Believe me—I’ve tried many of them. In its most basic form, meditation consists simply of assuming a comfortable position (typically sitting), closing your eyes, and slowly breathing in and out for at least 5 minutes, focusing on your inhales and exhales.
What to expect: as you’re “focusing” on your inhales and exhales, your mind will invariably wander off to what your piano teacher said about your arpeggios or an upcoming social engagement with friends. That’s ok—in fact, it’s totally normal! The moment you realize you’re no longer focusing on your inhales and exhales, just gently lead yourself back from those thoughts and towards your breathing. Continue until your timer sounds.
Why it works: “success” in meditation is not defined as your mind never wandering. Your mind WILL stray. Rather, meditating is beginning to work whenever you are noticing more and more quickly WHEN your mind wanders…and then getting it back to the topic at hand. (You might be able to guess where this is going as far as taking the SAT or ACT.)
And after you do this for a while, you start to realize at a gut level the most helpful thing of all: that “what your piano teacher said about your arpeggios” isn’t happening right here, right now…it’s JUST A THOUGHT. And you can notice that, and refocus elsewhere, at any time.
And one step farther: if it’s “just a thought”…that means it’s NOT YOU. YOU are NOT your thoughts! YOU are merely HAVING the thoughts! Which means that all those unproductive thoughts about how you’re going to totally screw up the test are just those: THOUGHTS, not TRUTH.
Journaling for Test Anxiety
Journaling is what it sounds like: grab yourself a pen and paper (or computer and Word .doc) and let your thoughts and feelings pour onto the page. I find journaling works best when you give yourself a set amount of time (say, 15 minutes) and let the stream of consciousness flow. Don’t worry about making sense, having correct grammar and spelling, or being polite. There’s no need to self-censor or edit as you type/write. The goal is to brain dump onto the page or document.
What to expect: a lot of dull details will likely flood out of you: all the things you need to do today; what you want to eat for lunch; what’s stressing you out. Lots of exclamation points and all-caps if something’s been upsetting you. Often, my journal will mostly consist of the mundane tasks of my day…and then towards the end of the 15 minutes, I might have a “Eureka!” moment, a revelation about something I was (or wasn’t!) writing about.
Why it works: journaling isn’t about having as many deep thoughts as possible. It’s about dumping all the thoughts out of your head and onto a page or document, thereby freeing up your mind for the more important work ahead! It’s a pressure-release valve for the mental chatter…so that it can finally settle down and give you room to breathe. Also, if you have feelings about things going on in your life (and chances are that you do, whether or not you consider yourself to be a “big feeler”!), letting those emotions be heard is super helpful. There’s no avoiding it: feelings need to be felt and then move through your body in order to be released. And the physical act of picking up a pen and scribbling ferociously is a great way to get that catharsis.
Also, once you’re able to view your thoughts written out before you, you might come to many of the same realizations as you would if you’d been meditating. Both practices allow you to observe your thoughts and separate them from the being that is YOU.
The added perk of a journal is that you can return to prior entries and observe just how rapidly your thoughts and feelings change. It’s a consoling thought: however overwhelming a big, unpleasant emotion might feel right now, your journal is evidence that it will not last forever.
Should I Get Therapy Before the SAT/ACT?
Talk therapy (i.e., having a therapist) has some parallels with journaling in that it aims to help you give voice to your innermost thoughts and feelings. The difference, of course, is that in this case you’re speaking those feelings out loud to a trained human being, rather than to a piece of paper.
What to expect: There are a WIDE variety of therapy modalities (and therapists!) out there in the world, so make sure to do your research into each potential therapists’s methodology. That said, often, the mental health worker you choose may not give you “advice” per se, but will instead listen and reflect back what you just said to make sure they understand. They also tend to ask questions meant to help you dig deeper, and sometimes point out recurring themes within what you’ve been saying.
Why it works: Once you’ve vocalized your thoughts, feelings, and beliefs (and in some cases had them gently questioned), you might realize that certain assumptions you make in your head don’t actually make sense in reality. It takes that thought’s power away, often lessening the emotional impact (stress, depression, etc.) it has on you.
Additionally, if you find a therapist who holds space for you in a healthy way, you may eventually start to learn to observe your thoughts as though they are separate from you. You’ll hopefully also have the important experience of having your feelings validated. And much like journaling, having a routine way to express your thoughts (especially the difficult ones) will help to release their grip on your mind…and make room for other, more constructive thoughts.
Aromatherapy for Test Anxiety
This one might come as a surprise: you can actually use your nose to calm yourself down. And though this happens to be one of my favorite methods, don’t just take my word for it: research has found that smells can lower your stress levels. You may find that therapeutic-grade essential oils can quickly change your emotional state, almost at will. I, personally, like to use certain scents to gain more motivation and energy, while others help me focus and concentrate, and still others help me self-soothe and relax.
Before COVID, when many of my students would meet me at my office in Manhattan, several commented that something about my conference room made them feel that they could truly “focus” and “calm down.” Initially, I felt pleased that my mere presence could induce such a helpful mental state! But it wasn’t until one student asked what perfume I was wearing that I realized: the essential oils that I had donned in order to put myself into “super focus” mode for our session had left a lingering scent…and she was getting a pick-me-up, too, second-hand!
Since then, many students have asked me how they can reproduce the focused calm of our in-person tutoring sessions in their own homes, and my easy solution is to have them bring the scent home with them. That way, their olfactory system can gently soothe that other system—the nervous system!
Whether or not you believe that essential oils have these rarefied properties, to a student who wants to feel calm and focused while studying and/or sitting for the SAT or ACT, the ritual of applying a scent and breathing it in helps, even as a placebo. (Though there studies have illustrated that some essential oils really DO work in a test-taking environment to improve focus and mitigate stress.)
As far as taking the SAT or ACT goes, do essential oils “work”? I can only tell you anecdotal evidence from numerous students of mine who approached me about using them as a study tool. For those clients who realized that they could benefit from a prop to help get in the right mental state for the test and who liked the routine of using a scent to help their unconscious mind make the link between “study time” and “test time,” I HAVE seen score improvement. Specifically, I’ve seen students become more capable of replicating their practice test scores on Test Day—when, previously, their actual scores had been significantly lower than their practice scores.
But at the end of the day, this technique, like all the others on this list, is a personal choice. It’s something to try if you’re open to it, to see how it might work for you. It certainly doesn’t take the place of making a big-picture study plan and executing on it! If this seems like an idea that would work for you, my favorite essential oils to try for study purposes are this Focus Blend, this Calming Blend, and this Thinker Blend.
Don’t let test anxiety get in the way of the SAT or ACT score you deserve!
These strategies will help you notice, manage, and—with practice—defeat your test anxiety. I’ve seen my students (Perfectionist and Slacker types alike!) make major strides using these tricks, and I know that you can do the same. Daunting though it may seem, it’s a fact that test anxiety doesn’t have to be your permanent reality! So take these steps to crack down on it so that you can get the highest score you’re capable of. And if you think it makes sense to work with an expert in both mindset preparation and SAT/ACT content prep, reach out today to set up your consultation!
OR, if private tutoring doesn’t fit your budget or study style, never fear! My online course is perfect for you:
This is a totally digital, totally self-directed video class that will help you slay the dragon of your test anxiety. I walk you through over a DOZEN tricks and strategies for keeping calm and testing on. So if you liked the hack that today’s post had to offer, just imagine the kind of score you can achieve with loads MORE of them!
