Like most students, when I hear the word “test”, my smile turns into a frown and my heart dupp-lubs at 55 miles per hour.
Though, over my years at Staples, it has gotten a little bit better, my anxiety about tests still exists. Even when I work hard, I still somehow manage to screw up.
It is junior year now, and there is one three letter downfall that all juniors face: SAT.
It should really be called the Scholastic Anxiety Test.
Now, I know that SAT’s are helpful to students who are good test takers. They can show off their scores when applying for colleges. But poor test-takers wonder: What happens if I’m not great with tests but still get really good grades and do a lot of extracurricular activities?
I recently came across a useful article in the New York Times with the title,”How To Be A Better Test-Taker”, that gave me a solution to my test-taking problem.
It’s simple: don’t worry and be positive. If I continue to worry, the stress hormones will use up my working memory, which means that the material that I studied all night and spent all of my energy on will become a blur.
Now that I feel a little better about tests, I’ve come to the realization that a test should not label you as a person. I think it is time we go beyond that and realize that hard work and dedication should be shown by grades and transcripts.
Life is not all about tests and, in the long run, no one is really going to care about my SAT score in the future. If I work hard and use my talents, I’ll be successful. It’s time for college to get past the test.
