The US education system is currently placed atop a pillar of standardized testing. In many cases, schools use these tests as the only way of judging if one passes a class, and for colleges, tests like the SAT could be the determining factor for your future. With so much weight placed upon these tests, it is not surprising that they are a huge cause of stress for students (including myself). Despite the stress of these tests being a bad judgment of someone’s knowledge and real-world skill application, schools still use them so students need to find a way to manage them. Below, I will share some of the strategies I use to get through my course load and how these strategies can be useful in many other situations.

While many seniors make sure their last semester or two of high school as easy as possible, I chose to take five AP courses (six periods), and two capstones to complete my school’s engineering and computer science pathways. Although I do not regret my decision as the money saved on college classes will be worth it in the long run, the course load is brutal and of course, filled with standardized testing. Most notably, the AP tests which colleges use to decide whether you get college credit or not are all taken in one week and when paired with sports and work, over-stressing about tests is not possible. The main strategy I use to prepare myself for testing is to treat all standardized tests the same. What I mean by standardizing standardized tests is to treat tests like a test, not some all-controlling factor of your life. I have failed tests, and I have aced tests but one thing remains constant, I am still alive and at the end of the day all that matters is that you tried your best. I know that sounds super cliché but it has helped me get through some difficult finals.

Prepare yourself with what you are comfortable with whether that be a late-night cram session, glancing at some notes, or flashcards. Set yourself up so that you believe you can do well, do not get caught up in the stress before a test because it will only harmfully impact your grades. This takes practice as simply “not worrying” about something is not possible but over time, difficult tests become less daunting and the “it is just a test” attitude will help you go into tests with more confidence and less turmoil post-test.

Like many things in life, standardized tests kind suck and nobody wakes up thrilled that they get to take a midterm or ACT but they are great practice for all the things in life that also suck. If you can master the stress induced by standardized tests, approach them with confidence, and not let scores rule your life, then your educational experience, as well as your life, will be more stress-free.