Dealing with Test Anxiety: Strategies for Staying Calm & Confident

Feeling nervous before a big test like the SAT, ACT, CPS HSAT, HSPT, or ISEE? You're not alone; many students deal with test anxiety at some point. Anxiety isn't something you just feel; it also influences what you think and how you behave. When a stressful thought pops up, it can trigger physical tension, mental fog, or even panic. That feeling can lead to procrastination, rushing, blanking, or zoning out.

Therefore, finding ways to minimize anxiety and negative thinking can help improve your performance on tests of all kinds. Luckily, there are many simple, practical ways to ease anxiety and help you walk into your exam feeling confident!

1. Be Prepared

One of the most effective ways to calm your nerves is to make sure you're truly prepared. This means:

• Taking full-length practice tests to get familiar with timing and structure

• Reviewing what you got wrong and figuring out why

• Creating a realistic study schedule and sticking to it

When you know what to expect, the test feels less like a mystery, and more like something you can handle!

2. Make Studying Less Stressful

Mix in some low-stress activities before and after your study sessions. Take a short walk, listen to music, draw, or even watch a short episode of your favorite show. Enjoying the time before and after your study sessions can help prevent burnout, and makes your study time more productive.

On that note, be sure not to cram the night before you take the exam. Instead, do a quick review, and then focus on relaxing. Make sure you get a good night's sleep, drink lots of water, and have a meal you enjoy the night before, so you can wake up bright and early to be ready for your test the next day!

3. Take Advantage of Breaks

Studying for long hours without a break can leave you feeling exhausted and overwhelmed. Working in focused blocks of time (50-60 minutes) and taking a 5 minute break between each block, can help you maintain stamina and retain the information you're learning. Get up, stretch, and reset!

During the actual test, make the most of your scheduled breaks. Move around, hydrate, and reset. Even short mental breaks can help you refocus and avoid mid-exam burnout.

4. Talk Back to Anxiety

Anxious thoughts often show up before and during a test. Challenge them with facts. For example:

• Anxious Thought: "I'm going to fail."

• Your Response: "I've studied, taken practice tests, and I know the material. I'm ready for this."

Positive self-talk can help improve focus and performance. It's not about pretending everything is perfect, but instead reminding yourself of the truth.

5. Breathe

When stress spikes, take a moment to take a few deep breaths. Try this pattern:

• Inhale for 4 seconds

• Hold for 4 seconds

• Exhale for 4 seconds

• Repeat!

This helps calm your body and clear your mind, whether you're studying or sitting in the testing room.

6. Celebrate Your Effort

After you study or finish your test, reward yourself. Whether it's a favorite snack, movie night, or quality time with friends and family, celebrating your effort (not just the outcome) builds positive associations with the process and helps reduce future anxiety.

At Test Prep Chicago, we specialize in helping students feel confident and ready for important exams like the CPS HSAT, ISEE, HSPT, ACT, and SAT. Whether your child is looking for a structured group course (click here), a focused, one-day workshop (click here), or individual tutoring sessions (click here), our programs are designed to build skills, reduce anxiety, and boost performance.

We offer:

• Full length practice tests to build familiarity, confidence, and stamina

• Targeted lessons and homework to strengthen key areas

• Tutoring that teaches effective test-taking strategies, important material, and time management

• Ongoing updates to our materials based on student feedback from recent exams

If you are looking for a supportive path to test success, Test Prep Chicago is the way to go!

ACT Enhancements

The ACT has made major structural changes to the exam that will be implemented in the coming months. The ACT will now have 44 fewer questions and students will receive more time to answer each question. The length of the test in total will be reduced to 125 minutes rather than 195 minutes as in previous years. Students will also have the option to opt out of the science section unlike previous years.

Math and English portions of the exam will be adjusted slightly. For math questions, the ACT will be eliminating a response option from each question. Options that are rarely chosen or of poor quality will be removed from the exam, leaving four potential answers rather than five. Additionally, when questions contain a graphic, answer options that can be easily eliminated by looking at the image will be removed from the test. This is designed to match the format of other assessments and improve the test-taking experience for students.

During the English section, students will be provided with clear instructions for each question. Previously, portions of text would be underlined or numbered to denote which phrases pertain to each grammar and language question. However, no instructions were given for each individual question, so students needed to reference the instructions at the beginning of the section. This will no longer be the case, as the ACT will provide instructions for each question such as “which choice makes the sentence most grammatically acceptable?” followed by the answer choices. Additionally, the “No Change” options will be bolded so they are easier to see. These changes are being introduced to promote clarity for all students.

ACT enhancements will begin going into effect starting in April of 2025 for students taking the exam online. By September of 2025, all students taking the exam on paper or online will receive these benefits as well. The adjustments will be reflected in all schools and districts by spring of 2026.

Kayley Horton, Tutoring Coordinator
kayley@testprepchicago.com
(312) 848-1266

Changes announced for the ACT

This week, ACT announced some significant changes to their test.

One of the major changes is that the science section will now be optional, giving students the choice to include on their test, similar to the optional writing test. Additionally, the new ACT will be significantly shorter. The core test, consisting of English, reading, and math, will be just 2 hours long and will have 44 fewer questions than the current version. The English and reading sections will feature shorter passages, making the test more streamlined, and students will have more time to answer each question.

Some aspects of the ACT will remain the same. The ACT will continue to be scored on a scale of 1–36, and students will receive a composite score (the average of the English, reading, and math scores) in addition to section scores. The test will still be available in both paper and online formats, and the optional writing section will still be offered.

The new version of the ACT will be introduced in Spring 2025 for students taking the online ACT on standard national test dates. Students taking the ACT during school-day testing will experience the new version in Spring 2026.

TPC will be updating our ACT practice materials to reflect these changes and ensure student's are well-prepared for the new test.

Illinois Potentially Switching from SAT to ACT

Within the next year, Illinois may be switching from the SAT to ACT as it’s mandated state test. In the state of Illinois, all public high school students are required to pass a standardized college entrance exam to graduate. The Board of Education’s current contract with College Board requires 11th grade students to take the SAT and 9th and 10th grade students to take the PSAT. As this contract expires in June, it is likely the Board of Education will make the switch to the ACT for the 2024-2025 school year.

The state has begun negotiating a deal with ACT Inc. that will award the company a $53 million contract over the course of three years. If this deal is successful, it will be the first time the ACT is mandated for Illinois public school students since 2016. While the state is developing these contracts, the Chicago Board of Education recently renewed its contract with College Board for another two years. Therefore, Chicago public school students can expect to continue taking the SAT until 2026.

Some are dismayed by these potential changes, claiming the ACT does not align with current Illinois educational standards. Matthew Raimondi, a district employee, stated “that high school assessment is ultimately going to guide how teachers teach. Teachers are going to teach to the test you select. I urge you as board members to make sure you make the best decision to move to Illinois forward and not back to a test from the last century.” The state superintendent responded to this by assuring educators that whatever test is selected will align with the requisite learning standards.

Kayley Horton, Tutoring Coordinator

kayley@testprepchicago.com

312-848-1266

Digital SAT Updates

In the 2024 school year, College Board has officially switched to an all-digital model for the SAT. This comes as a significant change from the former paper and pencil model that was utilized for the past several decades. College Board representative Priscilla Rodriguez stated that based on information gleaned from focus groups, students found digital testing to be less complicated and more natural than other alternatives. Students expressed feelings of anxiety when taking the physical SAT and had more confidence when it was administered digitally. This comes as no surprise considering the amount of technology that has been integrated into modern education structures. Because of this, 2024 is the first year that the SAT will be fully adapted to a digital format for all students.

In practice, this means students must take the SAT on their own electronic devices or devices provided by their schools. The digital exam will be administered through an app called Bluebook. This app requires access to an internet connection though College Board claims that the exam takes up very little bandwidth. As an added precaution, the app will automatically save all progress within the exam so that students do not risk losing their work due to internet outages.

College Board is confident in their digital SAT infrastructure as this is not the first time they’ve offered the exam digitally. Throughout 2023 international students took the digital SAT and many high school students took the digital PSAT in the fall of the same year. Thus, College Board believes that the digital SAT will be a successful step towards modernizing the exam for students in the years to come.

Kayley Horton, Tutoring Coordinator

kayley@testprepchicago.com

607-848-1266

Test Score Requirements at Dartmouth

Since the outbreak of Covid-19 in 2020, most universities including Ivy League schools opted to make SAT and ACT scores optional rather than required upon application. This measure was taken to ensure a more equitable application process for students. However, in 2024, Dartmouth will be the first Ivy League school to reverse this decision by once again requiring students to submit either their SAT or ACT scores for its newest class of students. While many are outraged by this decision, Dartmouth claims its ultimate goal is to increase diversity.

A study conducted by Dartmouth suggests that making test scores optional has actually harmed their goal of inclusion. Students from disadvantaged families and low socioeconomic backgrounds submitted test scores less frequently than advantaged students. However, disadvantaged and/or marginalized students who did submit their test scores frequently achieved higher scores than students without these disadvantages. Thus, if SAT or ACT scores had been required, it is believed that more diverse students would have been admitted.

In addition, Dartmouth administrators believe that reinstating their test score requirement is necessary to predict student performance. Test scores considered in conjunction with high school grades are the best indicator of a student’s success according to research conducted at the college. This study also claims that test score requirements tend to attract students from schools that do not frequently send students to Dartmouth. Thus, if proven correct, the mandate would lead to a more inclusive student body. Still, it remains to be seen if other colleges and universities will follow in Dartmouth’s wake and once again require SAT and ACT scores.

Kayley Horton, Tutoring Coordinator

kayley@testprepchicago.com

312-848-1266

AP Course Decisions

For high school students, taking Advanced Placement (AP) classes can offer numerous benefits such as gaining college credit, improving academic skills, and strengthening college applications. However, it can be challenging to decide how many AP classes to take. 

AP classes are designed to provide college-level coursework to high school students. These courses offer students an opportunity to explore challenging subjects in greater depth and prepare them for college-level academic rigor. However, the workload of AP courses is typically higher than that of regular high school courses. Students should consider their academic ability based on their performance in previous academic years, including their grades, course difficulty, and study habits. Students must also factor in their workload, including from extracurricular activities.

Another factor to consider is a student's future goals. If a student is planning to attend a highly competitive college or pursue a career in a challenging field, taking multiple AP courses can demonstrate their academic readiness and preparedness. Even so, colleges take other factors into account, and there is no guaranteed number of AP courses that will substitute for a well-rounded and individual background.

Counselors, researchers, and consultants agree that it’s far more important to select a schedule that will be manageable to a student based on their workload, academic level, and future goals, rather than loading their schedule with as many AP courses as possible.

Anna Jordan, Tutoring Coordinator
anna@testprepchicago.com
(312) 848-1266

Overview of the Digital SAT

In the near future, students will only be able to take the SAT via a digital format. Last November, a select portion of SAT students were offered the chance to test out this format by taking the digital SAT. Among this group, 80% of students found the new test taking process to be less stressful than the paper version which was previously the standard. The College Board began offering the digital SAT to international students in March of 2023 and plans to fully implement it in March of 2024 for class of 2025 juniors (current sophomores).

The digital SAT boasts a number of benefits. Among these, the digital interface allows the test to adapt to each student. With an adaptive test model, each section independently adapts to the student’s level of ability, making the resulting score more reliable. Additional benefits include shortening the test-taking time period from 3 hours to 2 hours and making scores available to students just days after they take the exam. The digital SAT will also offer a range of online tools students may use at their disposal. These tools include an on-screen timer, elimination tools which allow students to cross out incorrect answers, and the ability to flag questions for review so that students can go back to check them.

The content of the test will remain essentially the same with minor format changes. For the math section, students will have 44 questions to complete in 70 minutes. Students will have access to a graphic calculator on the screen during this portion of the test. During the reading and writing section, students will have 64 minutes to answer 54 questions regarding reading comprehension and grammar. The digital SAT will make reading questions shorter and reinstitute sentence completion questions. Each section of the test will still be worth 800 points and students will continue to have access to a reference sheet for formulas. Altogether, the digital SAT looks to streamline the test taking process while adapting to the changing landscape of technology based assessments.

Kayley Horton, Tutoring Coordinator
kayley@testprepchicago.com
(312) 848-1266

College Enrollment Still Down from Pre-Pandemic Levels

Rates of college enrollment, which decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic, have yet to return to pre-pandemic levels. Across the country, the rate of undergraduate enrollment dropped 8 percent between 2019 and 2022, marking the steepest decline on record, and while admissions rates are increasing slightly, they have yet to return to 2018 levels.

Despite predictions that the decline was only temporary, it appears that many of those who opted out of college at the beginning of the pandemic have decided not to return to school. While those who don’t attend college typically have a lower average earning potential, many are questioning the benefits of attending colleges and universities when tuition prices continue to rise and rates of student debt are at an all-time high.

Fewer graduates from college could lead to shortages in certain fields, such as healthcare and engineering, while the market for computer science skills has steadily increased. Additionally, many young people are pursuing education outside of the traditional four-year degree; trade schools and apprenticeship programs, for example, are on the rise. The pandemic, which threw a wrench in the plans of many, may have caused a lasting shift in the way young people consider their future.

Anna Jordan, Tutoring Coordinator
anna@testprepchicago.com
(312) 848-1266

The Classical Learning Test Replacing SAT/ACT in Florida?

The SAT and ACT may soon be replaced by the Classical Learning Test in the state of Florida. Primarily used by home-school and private-school students, the CLT is a standardized test steeped in “traditional” education values. School board officials from the state claim the new test contains more challenging material than the SAT and is fitter to uphold the democratic principles of America. As Governor Ron DeSantis searches for alternatives to the College Board’s standardized tests, individuals from the Department of Education are pushing for the implementation of the CLT.

Created in 2015 as a way to disengage from modern education standards, the CLT diverges from the SAT and ACT in ideology. While the College Board recognizes critical race theory as a foundational tenet of education, the CLT takes a conservative approach to this topic with regard to religious values. Chad Pecknold, a member of the CLT’s establishing board stated that it is “an alternative to the College Board that orients people to the perennial truths of the great classical and Christian tradition.” Other Florida Education officials claim that the SAT has “censored” ideals of the Christian faith and thus claim that an alternative test must be implemented.

Currently, the SAT and ACT are the only standardized tests recognized by collegiate institutions in Florida. However, if new legislation is passed the CLT will be available to all eleventh and twelfth-grade students who wish to forgo taking a College Board exam. As of now, Governor DeSantis has not confirmed the state’s switch. Still, Florida education officials are pushing for the addition of the new test, making it likely that the CLT will be recognized as a legal college entrance exam alternative in the coming years.

Kayley Horton, Tutoring Coordinator
kayley@testprepchicago.com
(312) 848-1266

Sources:

https://www.businessinsider.com/florida-sat-college-board-alternative-classical-christian-desantis-western-thought-2023-2
https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2023/02/19/florida-weighs-classical-and-christian-alternative-to-sat-college-entrance-exam/
https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2023/02/17/desantis-classical-learning-test-college-board-ap-sat/