The ACT has, once again, come and gone. With seniors not being given ample time upon the return of school to prepare for the ACT, the news that they would be taking it on Oct 20. was very unexpected as the global pandemic came between the students taking the test during their junior year back in April. 

While many students felt stressed about the ACT, people with test anxiety specifically suffer in the weeks leading up to the test. Along with feeling a sense of urgency to study or fear of tests, people who suffer from test anxiety often deal with rapid heartbeat, feelings of inadequacy, and the inability to focus or remain calm in a high-pressure situation, like an assessment. This can be very difficult for students to cope with and often interferes with them being successful. 

Social worker Lindsay Taylor explained, “When you get anxious, you are in your feelings… that is what can cause anxiety and panic. It sends you down into a spiral and then you are not able to access that prefrontal cortex where you are able to rationalize and think.” 

Students with test anxiety often have reduced memory of academic concepts during tests, and have a greater likelihood of error. The American Test Anxieties Association reports that students with high anxiety perform around 12 points lower than their peers. 

Fortunately, there are a variety of ways to cope with test anxiety when you are in a compromising situation: 

• Mindfulness- Being aware of your feelings and thoughts is important before testing. Students who take a minute to meditate and calm down will be able to stop their fears or negative thoughts from escalating into a panic during a test. 
• Breathing Techniques- Taylor advised, “Breathing on a count of three, holding for two, breathe out for one and repeating.” 
• Grounding Techniques- This technique is less familiar for many people, but can be very effective in a stressful situation. It implements the five senses which help with rational thinking. One very simple way to implement this is by chewing gum during a test. “It’s actually been proven, gum with tests helps you focus,” Taylor explained. 

Beyond mental preparation for the ACT came reviewing the material. Senior Becca Shanahan highlighted the experience of preparing for the test. “We did take practice tests junior year, but it’s been really fast.” She explained that her teachers prepared her by working on packets that would help with what would be presented on test day. 

Understanding the difficulty students were facing prior to the test, Math teacher Brittney Smith explained the steps she took to help her students feel more adequately prepared: “We did a practice test in class and we went over the answers, we went over what their score would have been if that was the actual result and we talked about test-taking tips and strategies.” 

Although there were many disadvantages in preparing for the ACT, many universities have lifted the requirement for the scores, and have based admission off of GPA or even class rank. In a poll taken during an English class, 11 students reported that since they were already accepted into college, the pressure that came with taking the test decreased significantly. Taking the ACT so unexpectedly created a setback for many students, but ultimately seniors were able to be resilient through it all.