Have you heard the buzz about April’s ACT test? Students are saying it was the most difficult ACT ever given: “The math questions were impossible”, “…there was not enough time to complete all of the reading passages”, and even “…the smartest kid in our class thinks she bombed the science section”. These concerns will be repeated by students until the June ACT becomes the “hardest test ever.”
Test anxiety starts because many high school students believe their ACT or SAT scores can make or break their college dreams, and that can be a legitimate fear if a student is applying to competitive schools or hoping for a merit scholarship. Combine the pressure of getting into your dream college with rumors about how hard the latest ACT test was, and you get one result: intense test anxiety. At Flying Colors, we understand the pressure students feel. That’s why a core part of our comprehensive test prep includes anxiety management–a key feature that sets us apart from other test prep companies.
Test anxiety is a common barrier for students that can keep them from achieving their true potential. When you have an important game, theater performance, or exam, your body kicks into overdrive. The brain sends signals to indicate that the stakes are high—your heart beats faster, your palms start to sweat, and you feel butterflies in your stomach. Your body is responding to your brain’s signals and doing its part to rise up to the challenge. If you walk into a test or step onto the field and your body treats it like just another random Tuesday morning, you’re not going to perform your best. Performance enhancing anxiety works to your advantage by improving concentration and focusing the brain on the task at hand. That is your body’s way of saying “OK, let’s go!” Neuroscience studies show that heightened awareness IMPROVES performance.
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The Yerkes-Dodson Law Bell curve (below) illustrates that as arousal increases, so does performance, but only up to a certain point. When taking the ACT or SAT, students get into trouble when their arousal becomes too high, thereby inhibiting performance. By reframing the body’s physiological responses as positive through relaxation techniques such as breathing and visualization, students can keep performance anxiety at an optimal level and increase their chances of optimal performance.
A student’s goal should be to maintain a healthy level of motivation and drive while taking the ACT or SAT without slipping into higher levels of stress. Flying Colors’ instructors use evidence-based strategies and draw upon more than 14 years of experience to empower students to minimize anxiety and achieve success. Students learn skills that are not only applicable to standardized tests, but that can also improve performance on academic tests or in sports, theater, public speaking, or any other performance-driven endeavor.
Anxiety reducing strategies include:
• Familiarization with the content of the ACT and the SAT so students know what the tests can throw at them
• Strategic study plans and pacing strategies tailored to each student
• Regular practice tests that simulate test conditions to build confidence and test-taking stamina
• Coping strategies to calm the body’s natural stress reaction
Flying Colors’ goal is two-fold: prepare students for the ACT or SAT’s content and mentally equip them for the challenges of taking the tests. Our instructors help students create a game plan and execute it with confidence, so they can walk out of the test knowing they’ve achieved their target scores.