All tests are stressful. But, the SAT is in a league of its own when it comes to inducing anxiety. So many walks in student performance. He or she has been preparing for the Test for a long period of time or, at the very least, has been repeatedly told for months about the importance of the test. And, to add to the stress, the ordeal is unbelievably long: a grueling, exhausting three-and-a-half-hour marathon. How does stress influence student performance? Stress can help and hurt performance. You can focus and concentrate the mind and dismiss extraneous thoughts. But, when anxiety affects a student’s decision-making process, it can negatively affect the student’s score in significant ways.
One of my SAT students, let’s call her Sara (not her real name), had emigrated to the United States three years earlier. She was a brilliant and capable person. In fact, Sara wrote beautiful essays that surpassed those of some of my best students. However, her scores on the SAT practice tests stubbornly remained in the same range, one that did not reflect her progress and knowledge.
I asked Sara what she was doing differently on the day of the test that caused her scores to be more than 100 points lower than her performance in our sessions together would have indicated. When I started working with Sara, I showed her my system for answering critical reading questions. As with most students, she expressed concern that using the system, including taking notes on a passage, would take more time and prevent her from finishing the exam within the time limits. I asked him to try it and see if it didn’t save time in the long run. She soon became convinced that my system worked and I thought the battle was won. Her timed homework practices improved over time and everything pointed to a higher score. It’s wrong?
I learned from Sara that when she took the practice test, she used the first few steps of the system, but then went back to her old habits: guessing. Her anxiety regarding her watch took over. Furthermore, it turned out that in her practice, she was exceeding the allotted time restriction. She thought her goal was to turn in the perfect assignment, rather than simulating the time constraints of the test. Hadn’t we talked about timing her practice? Yes, but…
I made it clear to Sara once again that the task must be timed. If we are not simulating the test conditions, we are not achieving anything. There is only one goal: prepare for the SAT. I learned something from this conversation. The tutor has to check and recheck if the student is following the guidelines. Even if she has gone over all the ground rules, she does not assume the student is following them. Reinforce them periodically. Focusing on the content of the Exam and developing the analytical skills of the student is not enough. You have to remind the student of the general strategy. And, you have to do it, periodically.
