Mindfulness: Beyond the Content

An important part of test-taking that I don’t hear talked about enough is the mental part. Let’s be honest: taking an exam is stressful. Not just the SAT or ACT, but any exam. Especially if you aren’t well prepared. Especially if there are severe time constraints. I think we can all remember a time when we came across a question on a test and thought something like “Huh? I’ve never even seen anything like this before!” And then the heavy breathing starts and the pulse begins to race, and you take a quick glance at the clock. “OMG! I’m going to run out of time. I’m going to fail. Help!”

Well, take a deep breath. Reducing test anxiety is addressed in our course. There are specific time-tested strategies that can help you considerably lower your stress level, which of course translates to a better test outcome. First and foremost (and not surprisingly, I hope), is to be very well prepared. The lessons, homework drills, worksheets, tests, and video explanations in the Step Prep course all go a long way towards helping you be fully prepared, so that you will walk into that room on test-taking day totally confident, knowing exactly what to expect - no surprises.

There is an excellent book I would like to recommend: Beyond the Content: Mindfulness as a Test Prep Advantage by Logan Thompson. As stated in the book synopsis, Thompson “introduces us to the other half of test prep, explaining how our mental and emotional habits influence our ability to perform on tests.” The book gives some excellent practice advice and steps on how to master the mind game of taking tests.

So relax, easy does it, and I’m sure you will do great.