Taking the Stress Out of the SAT: How to Help Your Student Succeed
 

By Eric Flessa
Student Support Specialist, My College Planning Team 

SAT season is underway at the nation’s high schools. With the next test date looming on May 4, there are a few things your student—and you—can do to calm those nerves and tackle the SAT with confidence. 

Your student’s SAT is not about you

As parents, we do our best to prepare our children for the challenges they will face in life, school being one of the most important. Our experiences taking the ACT or SAT will do little to guide the next generation of test takers.

Students do not want to hear our SAT stories, or how the score we earned got us a scholarship, or that if only their uncle Eddie had scored higher, he could have gotten into Yale. 

The test they will take is not the same test we took, and the score they earn and what that means for their college admissions does not compare to our experience.

The best thing you can do is acknowledge how stressful their situation is and journey together down a path of understanding. 

Put the test into perspective

As a teacher, not a single day goes by that I am not asked by one of my high school students: “When are we ever going to need this stuff?”

The truth is, they won’t really need to know the ins and outs of iambic pentameter, but they will need the skills that go along with learning it so they can learn on their own when needed. 

 This age-old conflict between curriculum and what students see as a waste of time comes down to one thing: purpose. We all want our efforts to have meaning, and the SAT is no different. 

One of the best ways to inspire confidence in your student come test day is not to treat the SAT as one of life’s hurdles or as a gatekeeper into college. Instead, it’s an opportunity to showcase all the hard work they’ve put into learning for the past 11 years. 

This is not your parent’s SAT

The SAT of 2024 is different in two incredible and impactful ways: 1) it has a new structure, testing different competencies and skills, and 2) it will be taken entirely on computers.

The modern SAT 

The test is divided into two main sections: a 64-minute reading and writing exam with roughly 50 questions and a second 80-minute math section with roughly 40 questions. 

For the Writing and Language section, a passage is given, and students are asked questions about the quality of the writing, the stylistic and grammatical choices made by the writer, and how the writing can be improved.

For the Math section, students are mainly assessed on concepts taught in Algebra I and II, geometry, and a little bit of trigonometry. This is often the most challenging portion because it’s the last section, and students are ready to be done testing. Also, they’re not used to answering math problems in a multiple-choice format. Some experience with the test can really help alleviate anxiety, so...  

Help your student practice, practice, practice for the test

Most test anxiety comes from the “unknowables.” The more a student knows about the test and has experience with it, the less stressful it will be. Today, students have an incredible range of resources to familiarize them with the structure of the test, the types of questions asked, and the answer options. Online resources like Khan Academy, Princeton Review, and College Board all have free practice tests students can take, along with test tips and study suggestions. Familiarity breeds confidence.

Do some SAT game day prep

On the morning of test day, your job is to remove as many external stressors as possible. Wake up early and make breakfast for your student – something they like. Wake them up with plenty of time to get ready but not too much time to get nervous.

If you can, drive them to the testing location. A relaxed drive, perhaps with their favorite music playing, can make them feel at ease before the big test. Don’t talk about the test. Talk about anything that will get them talking. Make them laugh. 

Finally, give them a gift as they walk into that testing center. Tell them that, regardless of the test outcome, your pride in them is not being assessed.

To understand the SAT today, parents and students must realize that the weight of standardized testing in college admissions has shifted dramatically. During the pandemic, many colleges adopted test-optional policies. 

Post-pandemic, universities are struggling to redefine how to select students for their programs. Following a Supreme Court decision on affirmative action last year, new university admissions policies changed the landscape yet again. 

What your student would like to study, what career they’d like to pursue, which colleges interest them and how college will be paid for -- these are all discussions to have early in their high school years, not on test day. The process can be overwhelming.

Want more SAT support?

To alleviate that stress for yourself and your student, take advantage of the college admissions and financial planning services of organizations like My College Planning Team. These organizations can connect students and families with admissions experts and help them create a personalized college admissions plan.

Planning ahead and remembering these simple “de-stressors” can give your child the best opportunity for success on SAT day.