by Valerie Erde

If I had a dime for every time I heard someone say, “Oh, I’m smart, but I’m just a bad test taker,” well … I might not be ready to retire, but I would have a pretty big pile of money!

I’ve heard variations of this refrain from so many students and parents over the years. The idea is a pretty common one: you might know  - or believe you know - all of the information on a given subject, but freeze when it comes time to take the tests. You may tell yourself that tests aren’t an accurate reflection of what you know because you’re not good at them — and probably never will be. Right?

Wrong! I’d like to debunk that myth once and for all. No one is born “bad” at tests. If you — or your child — aren’t getting the scores you want, there’s always something else behind it. And if you figure out what that is, you can solve for it. Think about this for a moment: have you ever met a teen who really wanted to drive, or be a summer lifeguard, but who simply couldn’t pass the tests ? Insufficient or ineffective studying/practice, lack of motivation, negative self-talk, et. al. can all play a role in test performance.

first…a true story about how we figured out and then turned around one of our own student’s negative self-talk about testing:

Veridian True Case Study: First, I’m going to tell you the outcome of this case study before the details, but I really encourage you - and your teen - to read the whole thing! This student went from an initial 29-31 on the ACT English section to a 36, and to an 35 ACT composite score.

Just last year, I had a very strong student [all honors/AP, 4.9 weighted GPA] who initially let her poor (for her) performance on only one AP exam nearly derail her ACT preparation. In the beginning of our work together on the ACT English section, she scored 29-31on a couple practice sections, but I knew that was much lower than her capability and that something was getting in the way. But, at first, I didn’t know what that was. One day, after another low-ish practice section result, this student said, “Valerie, what’s the point of practice/studying? I just do even worse when I practice.” Without dismissing her question or her feelings, I asked her about that. And I also reminded her that one doesn’t achieve a 4.9 GPA in what I knew to be a rigorous curriculum without being able to do well on tests. Together, we figured out that her (temporarily) dashed confidence from one “bad” test score, some negative self talk, and a lack of “true” thoughtful and enough ACT practice, combined to produce those initial results that were not reflective of her abilities.

We explored her negative feelings, reframed her negative statements, but also challenged some incorrect perceptions and unreasonable expectations — including that sometimes what one considers “a lot of practice” isn’t really. She changed both her mindset and her practice habits and went on to get perfect 36 on the ACT Reading and English sections and a 35 overall!

I’d like to add that for many students who are used to doing well easily, or who really haven’t learned how to study well, sometimes the skills required to do well on AP/ACT/SAT tests - or certain parts of those test - don’t initially come easily. And some students need to fill in more gaps or need to do more practice than a friend whom they’ll say is “at the same level” or “less smart than I am.”

But there are several factors that can impact testing attitude and performance. So now I’ll get to what I see as the most common causes behind bad test takers’ struggles — and what to do about them,

1. True Clinical Anxiety: Get Professional Help

Real, diagnosable anxiety isn’t just a case of pre-testing jitters. Rather, this is a chronic condition that probably affects many more areas in life than just taking tests. Students who suffer from anxiety disorders may struggle with severe physical symptoms that make it hard to concentrate, phobias surrounding daily activities, or difficulty coping with new people and situations. 

The good news is that anxiety can and definitely should be treated. Once you do, you can also apply for accommodations at school and on standardized tests such as the SAT, ACT, and AP exams. Learn more about how to manage true anxiety during standardized testing here.  

2. Non-Clinical Test Anxiety: Roots

If you don’t suffer from a diagnosable anxiety disorder but still feel anxious about tests, it may be that this specific feeling is a symptom of a different problem. Many students become anxious about getting bad results on exams because they worry that they don’t actually know the material or they didn’t do much to prepare ahead of time. Those anxious feelings are real, but in this case they’re actually trying to tell you something useful: that you need to fill in skill gaps, study more, or study differently.

Lack of Preparation: Skill Gaps & Study Gaps

On the other hand, many students who do know their material still struggle on exams. For example, consider the case of a strong writer who gets As on every take-home essay but only a C on an in-class essay exam. This is probably less about their underlying writing skills than it is about not knowing how to prepare for and tackle the specific task of testing.

Standardized tests, in particular, require a whole separate skill set of students. In addition to knowing the material, you need to decipher questions, know how to narrow down choices, and manage your time so that you can get through easy material quickly and spend more time on harder questions — all without running out the clock as you try to get organized.

Fortunately, test preparation is also a learnable skill. Practice tests will help you understand the types of questions you’ll be asked and how to best manage your time in a pressure situation. Just be cautious: rushing through practice tests won’t help build skills. You need to practice carefully, paying attention to your mistakes to avoid repeating them in the future. A good tutor will help you diagnose your errors and provide focused practice so you don’t make the same mistakes again.

Certain Parental/Teacher Pressure

I don’t like to put blame on teachers or parents; we/they all generally have good intentions and want the best for kids! But the research is pretty clear that parental and/or teacher pressure can have either negative or positive effects on students’ feelings and performance. Multiple studies attribute the negative outcomes of parental pressure to a mismatch between parent and student aspirations. (See more about that in the next paragraph on motivation.)

Lack of Interest/Motivation/Ambition

Many students are “bad testers” because doing well on tests and/or achieving a certain academic level simply isn’t a top priority for them. They’d rather focus their time on writing songs, perfecting their tennis serve, or coding the next winning phone app. or game. And, for some students that may, indeed, be a better use of their time.

Lack of interest in doing well on tests - or certain tests - typically becomes a problem when the student and parent don’t see eye-to-eye on the importance of testing. The solution here is open, honest communication between parents and kids. What matters most to each of you, and why? Is there a way to compromise? A student who isn’t interested in improving probably won’t, but if they understand how SAT and ACT scores may help them in terms of a wider variety of college options, access to merit scholarships…in the future, it’s definitely possible to boost the scores with some effort.

Inadequate Sleep

I know, I’m like a broken record on this. Why? Because the scientific research on sleep and cognitive performance and working memory combined with our firsthand experience working with sleep deprived teens vs. rested students is conclusive.

Teens should get between eight and 10 hours of sleep per night, but Stanford Children’s Health reports that 70 percent of high school students fall short of this goal. Lack of sleep causes lower test scores and poorer outcomes in all sorts of measures. But don’t think that going to bed early the night before a test will solve this: consistency of sleep in the month leading up to an exam also impacts the performance.  

The solution here is obvious but not necessarily easy: students need to get to bed early enough to get a minimum of 7 hours of sleep each and every night. That may mean forgoing late night TV during the week, turning off phone notifications to get through homework more quickly and efficiently, and, in many cases, fighting against their biological preference for staying up late and sleeping in. If your school starts at the crack of dawn, you may want to get a group of parents together to lobby for a later start time, too.  One important thing I learned from leading the charge to successful high school start time change in our town (from 7:30a.m. to 8:30 am.) is that even with a later school start, the research indicates the role parents play in educating their teens on the importance of sleep and in establishing/enforcing healthy bedtimes. Again, I know this can be really tough, but I can tell you from personal experience that promoting good sleep hygiene in high school for my two teens really paid off for when they were on their own in college - especially during the high-stress college midterm and final exam periods.

Sloppy/Careless Work Habits contribute to Poor Performance

Sometimes poor test results are less about knowledge and skill than about fundamental executive functioning skills. For example, a student may be a math whiz, but their ease can lead to overconfidence. Assuming the math is easy, they go too quickly, making mistakes in filling in the correct bubbles, and end up getting many questions wrong as a result. The same thing happens to good writers who fail to proofread and therefore turn in essays riddled with spelling errors, or smart kids who don’t check their work. 

These unforced errors are frustrating, but they can be overcome. One of the biggest tips for this type of student is to slow down when testing, making sure to read each question thoroughly and to double-check all answers at the end. Practice tests are very helpful in this arena as well, since students can learn to build better work habits into their test-taking process so it becomes second nature.

What Can Students & Parents Do? The Bottom Line

The NYU Child Study Center has some great tips for how parents can help which I’m going to summarize below:

The FoundationAl Do’s

Your teen needs to…

• to get enough sleep [NYU agrees with me!]

• eat a healthy breakfast: frequency and quality count!

• get to school on time [some kids get really stressed when they’re late and may miss important information.]

• have the correct/needed supplies** e.g. correct calculator, books, pencils, etc.

  **Three true stories here: 1)recently, one of my ACT students (who was working with a different math tutor) brought the wrong calculator to the ACT. 2) One of our students didn’t realize until the night before that he had left his calculator in his school locker. Fortunately, he was able to get one, but it caused a lot of pre-test stress. 3) Time management is very important with APs and ACT/SAT. While I remind my students to have/get a watch, several have forgotten that item and then were unable to keep track of their timing during their test.

The Psychological/motivational Do’s

• Encourage your child to complete homework. This may mean helping them prioritize/strike a work:fun balance. Doing well on tests is easier for students who keep up with class which includes completing assignments.

• Help your child develop intrinsic motivation by reinforcing effort rather than the outcome (grade/score). Effort includes studying and completing homework and projects.

• “Teach your child tools for reducing fear and anxiety. This can be accomplished with enthusiasm, praise and, at times, small rewards for giving their best effort in spite of feeling worried. “

• “Teach your child to replace negative thoughts with positive ones. Since anxious kids tend to have many negative thoughts challenge those thoughts with questions such as ‘Do you really fail every test?’ or ‘What is likely to happen if you study?.” Model how your child might replace those negative thoughts with positive ones.

• “Teach your child ways to relax through simple techniques such as deep breathing and meditation. Relaxation is a skill that requires learning and practice, so keep the relaxation practices short and simple. Make it a family activity, where everyone takes the time to breathe deeply: you can teach by example. Use the techniques yourself, for example, when you become frustrated while driving.”

• Encourage your child to practice these skills in a variety of situations other than testing.

The Dont’s

NYU’s guide recommend you avoid…

• “Giving excessive reassurance, such as repeatedly saying, —You‘ll do great!“ Too much reassurance causes anxious children to seek to discredit the parent‘s opinion. “

• “[t]elling your child exactly what to do. Instead, ask your child to come up with a realistic plan for studying and taking the test. Successful completion of the plan enhances [a] feeling of control and accomplishment, and this will decrease anxiety.” [A Veridian example: we find that students who opt for our and complete our customized, self-guided test prep plans do really well. They are motivated and take ownership of the process.]

• “Don‘t ignore the problem by hoping it will go away by itself.”

• “Don‘t be impatient (—Just take the test and get over it!).”

• “Don‘t allow the child to avoid the situation ( e.g. you can stay home today). “

Want more help? We at VeridianPrep have A LOT of experience with “bad testers” and know how to work with those students to turn their experience around and improve both everyday classroom testing and high-stakes test performance

If you struggle with testing, you don’t have to accept that as an unchangeable part of your personality. It’s not! Consider what lies beneath your personal version of “bad test taking,” and start putting a solution in place. You can definitely do it — and we’re here to help! Get in touch to find out more about a tailored plan to improve your scores today.