Tests are scary. A few hours in a bright room can determine so much. With students coughing, proctors lagging, and a clock tick-tocking away, your academic future could be derailed if things don’t go as planned. SAT stress is absolutely normal.

Nerves are a pain when taking tests.

The SAT, the TOEFL, the AP exam, and the IB exam are all absolutely stressful experiences. I get that. We all get that; anyone who teaches tests for a living knows that nerves can be as damaging to a test taker as lack of sleep and no preparation. But, luckily, there might be a cure for your SAT stress.

Ending SAT Stress

There is a simple rule for ending SAT test day nervousness. It’s not rocket science, nor is it magic. It’s just experience. Hardened pro athletes don’t get nervous during the finals. Well-trained soliders don’t mess up during a conflict. And a SAT test taker who has seen it all will not lose her head when a past perfect sentence correction question has a 2/3 preposition split.

The key to ending SAT test day nerves is to both be prepared for the test and have experience taking the test.

You know you will probably take the test more than one time. I think you should plan on that and split your SAT prep into two phases:

1. Before First Test: In this phase, you gain as much strategy as possible. You learn how to pace yourself & how to do tricks like the (Rate T) or the (Average Pie) or the (Extreme Answers on RC). You won’t do great on this exam, but that’s because no amount of practicing will prepare you for the real thing. But you’ll go in and you’ll do your best and you’ll let yourself get as nervous as you want to get. Because you are taking another exam. Seriously there can be as much or as little SAT stress as you’d like, because you are taking the test again.
2. After First Test: Request the test. Spend your time gaining as much knowledge as possible. This time you know what to expect & you remember the question-types you struggled with. This time, you can spend your time gaining knowledge safe in the comfortable fact that you will not have to take the test for the first time ever again. If you need a tutor, hire a tutor. If you need video lessons, download video lessons. Just learn from your experience.
3. Second Test: You are a hardened veteran. You know what the proctor will do, you know how to deal with 45-45-90 right triangles, and you know all the nasty little re-phrases the reading comp will do.

The SAT can be a pain, but if you start early, prep smart, and work hard, you will do well.