One of my first lessons for my students is that you cannot stress about the SAT or ACT. Stress is not allowed on the test because your life represents more than just a test score. The more you get wrapped up in the score, the more you stress. And the more you stress, the worse you perform.
Even the latest study by the National Association for College Admission Counseling points out that a student’s success in college has little or nothing to with the fact that he or she reported test scores to the university.
In fact, this study implies that using standardized test scores as a predictor of college performance is not a reliable model. Students that submitted test scores to colleges finished their degrees with a trivial difference in both GPA and graduation rate as compared to students that did not submit test scores.
Now, it would be premature to think that the sunset is upon the SAT and ACT. These tests remain major factors in the college application process. But since over 800 schools hardly use the ACT or SAT for admission decisions, the writing may be on the wall.
The best advice, at this point, is to prepare for both the SAT and ACT as if they were games or puzzles to solve. Don’t let stress enter the equation. Keep your brain focused, fresh and flexible. Just because you may have to take the test doesn’t mean you should stress about it. If you remove the stress over achieving a perfect–or near perfect–score, then your performance will soar. Learn more test prep tips by reading 2400 Scores or by contacting CROSSWALK. CROSSWALK offers SAT/ACT Boot Camps, private tutoring in person or via Skype and other tools to prepare academically.
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