07 Mar Road Map for March: Freshmen

You’re probably watching from the sidelines right now as your 11th grade friends are knee deep in standardized testing. Although your “real” exams are a long way off, you may be taking diagnostic tests like the PreACT or PSAT 8/9. These are a useful way to get a feel for what the actual exams will be like and how they’re different from tests you take in school.  (For one thing, they’re longer.)  These practice runs can also help you get a sense of your strengths and weaknesses so you know what to focus on during the next two years until it really counts. During that time you can work on specific content or on improving your study skills more broadly.

Some students may find that as the stakes increase, they become stressed out about taking tests. You may freeze and forget what you’ve studied, or you might experience butterflies or other physical symptoms that interfere with your performance. If this sounds familiar, check out this article with suggestions for combatting test anxiety.

To learn more about what you can do in the next year+ to be well-prepared for your college entrance exams, search and applications, I hope you’ll join me for College Admissions: A Road Map for 9th and 10th Grade Students, where I’ll talk about what you can do now as well as what can wait.