Ep 134: Beat Standardized Tests with These Tips

Ned Johnson, author of Conquering the SAT and The Self-Driven
Child, joins the show a second time to share his top tips for
beating any standardized test--and they are all things under a
teen’s control!


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Full show notes


There’s no singular experience in teenage life quite like the
SAT. Unlike the grueling four year academic curriculum, it occurs
for only 180 minutes–and determines whether or not a teen is
accepted to the school of their dreams. Needless to say, this is
likely a significant cause of anxiety for you and your teen
alike.


A lot of programs out there promise your teen instant success at
standardized tests, but in reality, performing well is much more
complicated than just quick tips and tricks. Beyond simply
putting in the reps, acing the ACT or SAT requires teens to
understand their own thinking. It takes a serious mastery over
anxiety and external pressures to keep a clear head and perform
like a champion.


This week we’re talking to one of the most sought after test prep
professionals in the country, Ned Johnson. He runs the company
PrepMatters, which helps people prepare from everything from the
LSAT to the MCAT. He’s also the co-author of Conquering the SAT:
How Parents Can Help Teens Overcome the Pressure and Succeed.
Ned’s put in over 35,000 hours of one-on-one test prep with young
adults, and has learned quite a few lessons along the way.


He’s here today to share with you why he thinks standardized
tests are valuable despite their flaws. These tests go beyond
just words and numbers–they teach teens how to push their
boundaries. Ned and I also chat about why pressuring kids to do
well can often backfire, and how you can help your teen tackle
performance anxiety to smash that ACT out of the park.


Why Standardized Tests Matter


Humans are unique and changing, while standardized tests are just
that–standardized. How can one test possibly measure every
person’s intelligence when we all think so differently?


Ned understands why some people feel this way. Although he’s made
a career out of SAT and ACT prep, he knows that there are more
important things than getting a perfect score. However, he
believes standardized testing can be a great way for teens to
challenge their own limits. Specifically, tackling these tests
makes kids understand how they can better handle high pressure
situations.


Ned explains how, when humans are anxious about something, the
easiest solution is avoidance. It’s so much easier to just not do
scary things than it is to burst through our comfort zones. For
teens, taking a 180 minute test that determines their college
acceptance can feel like a stressful nightmare. It can be
tempting to simply opt out.


But by facing tests as intense as the SAT, students learn to
surmount their anxiety instead of letting it control them. If we
avoid situations that make us anxious, then we’ll remain afraid
forever. That fear is not going to bode well in adulthood, which
is filled with confrontations, important presentations, and big
meetings that can’t be ignored. By overcoming their apprehensions
about these tests, teens will learn to face the pressure and be
less terrified when the next frightening challenge rears its ugly
head.


That being said, taking on fear is easier said than done.
Luckily, Ned has some advice for how to help teens work through
serious nerves.


How to Handle Test Anxiety


Test anxiety is a pretty intense and overwhelming feeling that
keeps brilliant kids from performing their best. Ned explains how
teens can break this anxiety down into parts and make each part a
little easier to handle. That way, kids can be cool as a cucumber
when they’re face to face with those pages full of questions.


To start, Ned tackles the notion of novelty, explaining how new
things cause us anxiety by catching us off guard. Luckily, the
SAT is pretty similar on each go around, and teens can take
practice tests. Even if the questions undergo some changes, it’s
pretty much the same material. The more practice tests kids can
take, the less novel the real test will be.


Another significant contributor to this anxiety is the potential
threat to teens’ egos. For some teens, underperforming on these
tests means their self esteem is on the line. This leads them to
get worked up about their score and might even cause them to
fumble on the big day.


In the episode, Ned presents the idea of test prep therapy. This
process involves asking students what in particular about the
test is stressing them out, and looking for patterns in their
thinking. In our interview, he explains how we can reframe these
anxious thoughts to help teens overcome their apprehension.


Oftentimes, kids are nervous about these tests because they’re
facing a lot of scrutiny from parents. Ned breaks down how to
ensure that you’re motivating your student to perform their best
instead of pushing them in the wrong ways.


How Parents Play a Role


No parent wants to leave their kid in a state of distress,
especially when there’s an important test on the line. However,
we still want to encourage kids to do well and ensure that
they’re working hard. So how can we approach the situation to
give kids a boost instead of dragging them down?


Ned emphasizes the danger of making kids believe they have to be
successful at all costs. When parents give the impression that
success is the only acceptable option, it leads teens down a bad
trajectory. They often feel like they have to lie, or hide their
failures. They feel they can’t be vulnerable with you, and may
even cheat to achieve the perfect score you might be expecting.


In fact, Ned and I discuss how there’s nothing less encouraging
than telling a student that they’re not doing good enough work.
The teenage brain is eager to avoid anything that makes teens
feel stupid or unworthy. If this negative rhetoric becomes
associated with their ACT prep, they’re not going to want to
return to their practice tests again and again. They’ll likely
blow the whole thing off to go do something that makes them feel
instant gratification, like playing video games or watching
Netflix.


Instead of pressuring them, Ned explains how you can help kids
believe they can achieve. Don’t tell them that there’s no option
other than a perfect score. Instead, let them know that you
really think they can improve their score, if they really put
their mind to it. This encouragement goes a long way, and is much
more nourishing than harsh expectations.


Ned also discusses the value of encouraging incremental change.
Telling students they need to perform perfectly right away only
discourages them. Cheering them on as they bring their practice
test score from 1000 to 1200 will work wonders for their
confidence. When they feel empowered, they’re more likely to be
determined, and will come back the next day excited to improve.


In the Episode…


Ned is not only extremely knowledgeable about test prep but also
lovely to talk to! On top of the topics mentioned above, we chat
about:


Why some kids believe they’re college material and others
don’t

How to turn kids into readers

Why sleep is es...