Admissions Blog

Undergraduate Admissions Uncensored

  • admissions.blog

How to Deal with Test Anxiety: 8 Techniques and Tips

Posted on June 23, 2024 by Caroline Biggers

Heart-racing, stomach-turning. You fidget with the Number Two pencil in your hands as the instructor passes around the test. 

Sound familiar? 

You are not alone. Test anxiety on standardized tests in America is way more common than you think. Some studies have shown over 82% of students experience some measure of anxiety before a test like the SAT or ACT. Many professors and experts will tell you that a bit of nervous energy before taking a test is normal, and even beneficial, to your results in the end. 

But what if this anxiety is hindering your performance on the actual exam?

Today, we are going to break down 8 tips to help you conquer test anxiety.

But first, what exactly Is Test Anxiety?

Test anxiety is a term that describes having severe or excessive physical and emotional reactions to being in a testing environment. These reactions are often so strong that they interfere with your ability to do your best on the exam. To read more about the symptoms and reasons for test anxiety, check out this post here.

If you are feeling anxious about the college application process in general, remember that you don’t have to go through this process alone. It might help you to work one-on-one with an admissions professional to know exactly what to focus on in this stressful season of life.

1. Practice makes Perfect

This might be an obvious one, but this is the best tip for quelling your anxious thoughts on test day. Prepare for the material and structure of the exams through practice tests and flashcards. Our admissions experts also recommend being consistent with the amount you’re studying, but to vary where you study. Try working from a coffee shop, local library, or even outside. This will help you retain information and stay focused!

2. Be prepared for the format and timing of the test

One of the biggest things that can trip students up on test day is not being comfortable with the structure or timing of the SAT and ACT. Be sure to do your research beforehand, so the test day doesn’t have as many unknown factors.

3. Register for the exam early and be aware of the date you pick

This one may seem simple, but we have seen far too many students forget to sign up for the test or double-book themselves! Try to register for an exam date that is in a relatively quiet season for your schedule. If you can help it, don’t schedule it for when you have busy personal things going on, or during your sports season for example. This will help ease your anxiety during the week leading up to the test.

4. Arrive 10 minutes earlier than you normally would

No one wants to be rushed and stressed out on the morning of the big exam day! Be sure to add 10 extra minutes to your morning routine, so you can arrive early.

5. Breathe – simple but effective

Remember, if the anxiety becomes too much in the middle of the exam, you can take a break and breathe through it. It’s not against the rules to close your eyes and take a few deep breaths in the middle of the exam. These breaths are not only steadying and calming but also giving your brain a bit more oxygen, which can help you figure out the problem you’re stuck on.

6. You’re not alone!

As we mentioned in the intro to this blog post, test anxiety is a phenomenon that affects many high school students. Recognize that in your testing room, it is likely that most students are in your same mental state.

7. Know the average SAT score for your target colleges

Before the big test day, be sure to look up the average SAT score for your top 3 schools. It might be lower than you are expecting! Knowing the range of questions you can miss and still make the mark for admissions can help ease some anxiety on the day of the test. You won’t know everything – and that’s okay.

8. Take advantage of expert advice

As you prepare for your upcoming test, always remember that you don’t have to go through this process alone.  You can team up with college advisors, such as Ivy League-educated counselors or SAT coaches to give you 1-1 coaching. And you can find experts for every part of the admission process beyond the SAT, such as college essay coaches to guide you through the application essay drafting process.

We hope this helped relieve some of your testing anxiety and gave you some tips to use the next test day! 

About Caroline Biggers

Caroline Biggers is a contributing writer at Empowerly, specializing in college admission tips for high school students.

Filed Under: Advice & Analysis, Standardized Tests

Related posts:

Colleges that Require, Recommend, or Seriously Consider SAT Subject Test Results MIT to no longer consider SAT Subject Test scores James Madison University goes ‘test-optional’ for 2017-2018 When is the Best Time to Take an SAT Subject Test?

Subscribe to our mailing list

Trending Posts

Another Reason Why Your Common Application Essay is So Bad

Most Overrated Private University and Public University in America

Comparing Undergraduate Life at University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University

AP vs. IBDP. Which is best for you?

Caltech to require SAT or ACT scores again

USC receives 42,000 Early Action applications, will introduce Early Decision

The Best and Worst 2025-2026 Common App Essay Prompts

New Early Action Admissions Options Popping Up Across America

The top 23 songs to listen to while completing your college applications in 2023 are…

Wake Forest Introduces Exclusive Early Action (EEA)

Now Open: Application for New UC Berkeley 4-Year Haas Business Program

How to get into the Ivy League – Ethically

Yale Receives 1,000 Fewer Early Action Applications

Princeton wants to learn about applicants’ “lived experiences”

2025 Admissions Cycle Brings Change at US Naval Academy

Building Your Best College List

Dear 9th Grader: Don’t get rejected from the Ivy League so soon!

Top 20 Undergraduate Business Programs at Mid-Sized Colleges in the U.S. South

Which California public universities receive the most applications?

How to Deal with Anxiety During College Admissions (Especially Now)

Top 5 Ways Applying to US Colleges is Different than Applying to UK Universities

30 Summer STEM Camps for High School Freshmen

Northwestern Releases Regular Decisions, Class of 2027 Statistics

12 Reasons Scattergrams Lull Students Into a False Sense of Security

Rolling Admission vs. Regular Decision

Wesleyan University Ends Legacy Preferences in Admissions

You CAN apply Restrictive Early Action and Early Action under the right conditions

Making the most of the summer before senior year

The Perfect Gifts to Celebrate Getting Into College

Search Posts By Topic

  • 3 Year Degree (3)
  • Accommodations (2)
  • Admissions Policies (131)
  • Admissions Statistics (88)
  • Advice & Analysis (462)
  • Alabama (2)
  • Amherst (2)
  • AP (6)
  • Applications (93)
  • Applying from India (1)
  • Arizona (4)
  • Arts (1)
  • ASU (1)
  • Austin College (1)
  • Babson (1)
  • Baylor (1)
  • Berry College (1)
  • Boston College (2)
  • Boston University (6)
  • Bowdoin (1)
  • Brown (6)
  • Bryn Mawr (1)
  • Business (2)
  • BYU (1)
  • Caltech (6)
  • Canada (2)
  • Career and Technical Education (33)
  • Case Western (4)
  • China (1)
  • CMC (1)
  • Coalition (13)
  • Colby (3)
  • College Costs (1)
  • College Counselor (18)
  • College Fairs (5)
  • College Life (37)
  • College List (39)
  • College List Deathmatch (5)
  • College Visit (25)
  • Colorado College (1)
  • Colorado School of Mines (1)
  • Columbia (7)
  • Common App (42)
  • Community Colleges (4)
  • Cornell (5)
  • Counseling (3)
  • COVID-19 (8)
  • CSS PROFILE (3)
  • CSU (1)
  • CSULB (1)
  • CU Boulder (2)
  • Cybersecurity (1)
  • Dartmouth (7)
  • Davidson (1)
  • Demonstrated Interest (17)
  • DePaul (1)
  • Dickinson (1)
  • Direct Admissions (1)
  • Duke (3)
  • Early Action (44)
  • Early Childhood Education (1)
  • Early Decision (45)
  • Education (6)
  • Educational Consulting (1)
  • Elon (2)
  • Emergency Management (1)
  • Emory (1)
  • Engineering (3)
  • Enrichment (18)
  • Entrepreneurship (2)
  • Environmental Science (2)
  • Essays (58)
  • Europe (7)
  • Exercise Science (1)
  • Exeter (1)
  • Experiential Learning (1)
  • Extracurricular Activities (37)
  • FAFSA (6)
  • Feature (2)
  • Financial Aid (30)
  • First Person (12)
  • Fly-In (1)
  • France (1)
  • FSU (1)
  • Gap Programs (2)
  • GED (1)
  • Georgetown (5)
  • Germany (2)
  • Gifts (3)
  • Gonzaga (1)
  • GPA (7)
  • Graduate School (11)
  • Hamilton (1)
  • Harvard (7)
  • Healthcare (3)
  • High School (25)
  • Higher National Diplomas (1)
  • HiSET (1)
  • IB (4)
  • IEC (1)
  • IELTS (1)
  • Indiana (3)
  • Industrial Hygiene (1)
  • International (9)
  • Internships (8)
  • Interviews (10)
  • Iowa (2)
  • Italy (2)
  • Ivy League (20)
  • JHU (3)
  • Journalism (2)
  • Kettering University (1)
  • Lafayette (1)
  • Law (4)
  • LD (1)
  • Lists & Rankings (8)
  • Loans (1)
  • Majors (17)
  • Marketing (1)
  • Math (1)
  • Medicine (1)
  • Mental Health (3)
  • Middlebury (1)
  • MIT (7)
  • Montana State University (1)
  • Moving (1)
  • Naviance (2)
  • NCAA (3)
  • New Mexico State University (1)
  • News (124)
  • Northwestern (5)
  • Notification News (4)
  • Notre Dame (3)
  • Nursing (13)
  • NYU (3)
  • Of Note (15)
  • Ohio State (2)
  • Oklahoma (1)
  • Online Learning (14)
  • Open Admission (2)
  • Parents (7)
  • Penn (8)
  • Pharmacy (1)
  • Pitt (2)
  • Popular Posts (10)
  • Princeton (5)
  • Priority (2)
  • Professor of the Month (1)
  • PSU (3)
  • Psychology (3)
  • Public Universities (8)
  • Purdue (3)
  • Rankings (11)
  • Reader Questions (11)
  • Recommendations (10)
  • Regular (26)
  • Research (4)
  • Resume (20)
  • Rice (4)
  • Robotics (1)
  • Rochester (1)
  • ROI (4)
  • Rolling (5)
  • Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (1)
  • Santa Clara University (2)
  • Scholarships (2)
  • SEL (1)
  • Sewanee (1)
  • Skiing & Snowboarding (1)
  • SMU (1)
  • Social Work (7)
  • Soft Skills (1)
  • South America (2)
  • Southwestern (TX) (1)
  • Spotlight Series (1)
  • SRAR/SSAR (1)
  • St. Edward's University (1)
  • St. John's College (1)
  • Standardized Tests (43)
  • Stanford (4)
  • STEM (2)
  • Stevens Institute of Technology (1)
  • Student Trips (1)
  • Summer (24)
  • Swarthmore (1)
  • Syracuse (1)
  • TASC (1)
  • Teacher Recommendations (8)
  • Temple (1)
  • Texas (4)
  • Texas A&M (1)
  • Ticker (26)
  • Trending Posts (45)
  • Trinity University (TX) (1)
  • Tufts (4)
  • Tuition (3)
  • Tulane (8)
  • UBC (1)
  • UC Berkeley (8)
  • UC Davis (2)
  • UC Santa Barbara (2)
  • UCAS (5)
  • UCF (1)
  • UCI (1)
  • UCLA (8)
  • UCSD (1)
  • UDub (1)
  • UF (4)
  • UGA (3)
  • UIUC (3)
  • UMass (3)
  • UMD (5)
  • UNC (2)
  • United Kingdom (8)
  • Universal College Application (1)
  • University of Chicago (3)
  • University of Dallas (1)
  • University of New Mexico (1)
  • University of Rochester (1)
  • University of Vermont (1)
  • USC (4)
  • USNA (1)
  • UT Austin (4)
  • Utah (2)
  • UVA (7)
  • Vanderbilt (2)
  • Video Game Design (1)
  • Villanova (3)
  • Virtual Information Session (1)
  • Virtual Visit (2)
  • Wake Forest (1)
  • Wash U (7)
  • Wesleyan (2)
  • Williams (3)
  • Wisconsin (3)
  • Work Study (1)
  • Yale (14)
  • ZeeMee (1)

News Tips | Write for Us | Sponsored Posts
All content © 2025 | Admissions.Blog
Terms of Service | +1 410-526-2558

Copyright © 2025 · Metro Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in