Psychological preparation for the SAT

Test Preparation
1

<p>Hey, guys. I’ve been thinking a bit lately about the issue of psychological preparedness as it affects one’s scores on the SAT. There are some students who can do quite well on practice exams, but then drop significantly on the actual exam. Then there are some students who do well on the practice exams, and then score as well or even better on the actual exam. I’m interested in what sets the two groups of people apart. What, exactly, enables the second group to handle the rigors of test-taking and come out unscathed, while the first group can sometimes crumble under the pressure? I think a survey such as this is may really help those who are not as good at taking tests such as the SAT.</p>

<p>Note that I’m <em>not</em> asking about how you “studied” for the exam. I’m only concerned with the psychological aspects of taking the SAT right now.</p>

<p>To that end, I’m going to ask a few questions. Please answer all of them:</p>

<li><p>What were your practice test scores (please also name the source of the tests) for the new SAT (or old SAT) just prior to taking the actual exam? Was your actual test score close to (within 50 points overall) or higher than your practice test scores, or did you drop significantly from your practice test scores (more than 100 points combined) on the official exam? What was your official SAT score?</p></li>
<li><p>How many practice exams did you take in total (say, in the month and a half before the SAT)? Were they proctored (by someone else), or did you take them on your own? Did you time the exams strictly? What time of the day and what day of the week did you take them at? Did you usually complete each practice exam all in one sitting?</p></li>
<li><p>How would you describe your state of mind right before the exam started? During the exam? What kind of thoughts were going through your mind during the exam (other than thoughts about the questions themselves)? Did you feel confident? Nervous? Were you focused? Distracted? Were you calm? Or freaking out? Were you thinking about achieving a certain score constantly throughout the exam, or did you leave that all behind once you started the exam? Did you feel or act differently from how you felt or acted at the practice exams? The more detail, the better!</p></li>
<li><p>How did you feel you did right after the exam was done? Did you feel good about it? Did you feel just “okay”? Did you KNOW that you did well (if you indeed did well)? How did the actual results compare to your feelings and expectations at the conclusion of the exam?</p></li>
<li><p>Did you set a score goal for the exam? If so, did you think about this goal much during the exam, and did you actually meet your goal?</p></li>
<li><p>Would you describe yourself as a good test-taker? Have you always done well on exams (school AND standardized)? Do you work well under pressure? If you do think you’re a good test-taker, how do you think you’re able to consistently handle test-taking situations well?</p></li>
<li><p>If you actually did well on the exam and met your goal (and scored close to or higher than your practice test scores), what tips or advice would you give a student who is not as good a test-taker? Again, I am concerned with psychological preparation for the exam (so I’m not looking for something like “Read the Math section in Barron’s”).</p></li>
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<p>Thank you very much!</p>

2

<p>I'll take the bait...</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Practice test scores on tests from 10RS (old SAT) were ranging from 1500-1600, normally depending only on the vocabulary in the Verbal section and maybe some careless math mistakes. Actual test score - 1600. </p></li>
<li><p>I probably took all 10 tests from 10RS, as well as a handful from outside scores (sources varied to get a feel for what ETS could throw at me). I used the tests in a way similar to what's now called the "Xiggi method" (though I don't think I actually read about Xiggi's method till after I took my SAT.. I just did what I thought made sense). By the end, I was using actual test conditions - take the tests before noon, all in one stretch, with the appropriate breaks etc. </p></li>
<li><p>I felt pretty calm during my test. I would at least partly attribute this to taking tests under simulated testing conditions. I always take all standarized or competitive tests with a stopwatch on my desk, so having that there and being able to pace myself was key. Also, you need to be in a comfort-zone when you take the test. For me, this included familar surroundings (English classroom in my school). Also, I was comfortable using my calculator and already had a plan to attack the test. And (though it may sould silly), whenever I take tests, I always use those rubber pencil grips that they used in elementary school to teach us how to hold pencils properly. They prevent you from sqeezing your pencil so tight that it stresses you out even more. Once you start the test, you need to forget about everything except for the question in front of you. Daydreaming about your target score is useless - you have to work to achieve it.</p></li>
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<p>4-5. After the test, I felt pretty confident, especially after coming here on CC and discussing a few questions. However, after seeing a couple questions that I realized that I missed, the feeling of confidence began to subside somewhat. I personally stopped reading the SAT discussion thread after a short while because there was nothing I could do now to change my score. As for a score goal, I knew what range of score to expect based on practice tests and I set a "low end" score, below which I would retake the test. </p>

<ol>
<li>I think simulating real testing conditions is key to being psychologically prepared for the SAT, or really for any test. If you're going to be using a stopwatch during the test, practice with one. Also, when you go to the test center, try to eliminate all distractions - always take a jacket in case the place is cold, wear clothes you are comfortable with, if you have a squaky desk, ask for a new one, etc - just get rid of anything that could possibly bother you. When practicing, learn to pace yourself. Everyone needs to understand that if you cannot figure out one question, skip it and come back to it later - don't freak out and come to a dead stop. There's nothing worse than wasting precious time on one question that completely stumps you and not having time to answer the remaining questions that may actually be easier. Other random thoughts... The night before the test, don't cram or review excessively. Have some fun, watch some TV and get to sleep at a decent time. The morning of the test, follow your normal routine. If you eat breakfast every morning, then get a good one for test day. If you don't normally eat breakfast, then it's probably best not to eat one today - it will probably end up confusing your stomach and your body. At the test center, in the time before the test, don't stress out. Relax, talk to the people around you, and stay calm. Feel confident that you've done your best to prepare and don't waste time or energy thinking about what you could have done to study even more.</li>
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<p>My $0.02.. Good luck to all!</p>

3

<ol>
<li><p>Well... my practice test scores spanned from 1200s-1500s (old SATs) in 7 months. Plenty of ups and downs.. carless mistakes in math section, bad vocab. actual test scores.. 1220 (no studying), 1330 (some studying), 1500 ( little more effort on my part.. i think...) It was close to my pratice tests. near test time i was scoring high 1400s to low 1500s. </p></li>
<li><p>Practice tests.. from released tests to practice tests from barrons. (did them once a week over 7 months at prep school with plenty of off days .. pretty much 1 test a week.. =P <--lazy) </p></li>
<li><p>Indiffernt.. it wasn't that big of a deal to me.. i didnt really stress that much about the SATs. I figure.. if i know it i know it. worrying about it isnt gonna change my SAT score... I definately wasnt' thinkinga bout achieveing a score during the test.. i just thought about the questions. I kinda get into a test taking zone when im just thinking about the test.</p></li>
<li><p>I felt i did pretty good after the test.. just reluctant to admit it as to not be too concideded or overconfident about it. I kind of felt i got 1400 something... so i was very plesently surprised to get a 1500.. people tell me i often underestimate my self.. </p></li>
<li><p>Nope. I didn't set a score for my self.. o well, i suppose i set my goal to be "higher than last time" which was a 1330. I met my goal =)</p></li>
<li><p>Heck no... im a horrible test taker at school. I'm soo bad at multiple choice questions.. tend to overthink and choose teh wrong answers. I tend to do better on essay and short answer tests... I'm not that consistant either.. some days i can logically guess the correct answer.. somedays i just do badly..which is why i'm worried about my AP scores... but that's another story. I think i handle test takin situations pretty well though.. compare to people i know. I tend to not like to study.. again.. with the belief that if i know it i know it. studying the night before isnt going to change anything. </p></li>
<li><p>Well.. i guess.. my tip would be is to just relax and think on the brightside. honestly, SATs aren't the only thing tat's going to get you into college. take a bubble bath the night before and relax.... i honestly dont belive that extra 1hr of studying flash cards or what not is going to up your score. Better off just relaxing </p></li>
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<p>=). okay. must actually do physics homework now..</p>

4

<p>Thanks, m3ssi and tanman. Any other responses you guys might have would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! :)</p>

5

<ol>
<li><p>My practice test scores (from 10RS) on the old SAT were usually around 1360 though I did score 1430 once. My official SAT score was 1400 so I figure I did well. However my verbal score which averaged 680 in the practice tests dropped to 640 in the actual test, which is lower than my lowest practice score. And, my math score which averaged 720 in the practice tests went up to 760 on the actual SAT, which is better than my best practice score. Dunno how this happened?</p></li>
<li><p>I took around 5 practice tests I think and all of them in the final week before the test. 2 tests on the friday night before the test! All on my own and the last two in the same sitting. All tests were timed but I always managed to finish every section (except sometimes the verbal section) before time.</p></li>
<li><p>Confident and calm before the exam. Relaxed during the exam because I felt I was doing pretty well. I was always thinking about crossing that 1400 throughout the exam. The tests were actually similar to the practice tests so I think I didn't act any differently. I just did as I would have done any practice test.</p></li>
<li><p>Immediately after the exam I thought I had done quite well. But after hearing my friends, I thought I only did OKAY and would get in the range of 1350 or perhaps get that 1400 but not higher. Amazingly, I almost felt no emotion to see a score of 1400, it was as if I was subconsciously hoping for more. :(</p></li>
<li><p>My goal was a 1400+ but since I got a 1400 I think I pretty much achieved my goal.</p></li>
<li><p>I may be just above the average test taker. I do well on exams and yea, work well under pressure. I don't know how I'm able to consistently handle test-taking situations well! When not under pressure, I sometimes cannot think well!! It's almost like, why bother?</p></li>
<li><p>Suggestion: don't follow my example of taking practice tests a day before the actual one. When taking the test, stay focused, move at a reasonable pace but don't keep glancing the watch and panic. when you rush it becomes harder to think. my 2 cents.</p></li>
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