Choose To Begin: How to Achieve the Right Mindframe for Best Test Taking Performance
Satellite Prep’s Test Taking Commandment #9: CHOOSE TO BEGIN
Answer choices, Score choices, College choices.....
The word “choice” seems to be a major theme on the big standardized tests. But how many students are actually choosing to take this test, and how many are doing it because they feel they have to?
Often, the transition between high school and college is the first time a student is actually choosing which way he wants to go. Sometimes the choice of college is made as a compromise between parent and child. Many factors are involved. But it is almost always a critical crossroads in the journey—a key moment in the separation of parent and child and the development of the student’s own individuality.
When preparing for and taking the big tests, it is essential that you ask yourself a big question: Why am I taking this test?
A) Because it’s what people do at my age
B) Because I want to go to my top choice school
C) Because life isn’t fun and the SAT is designed to make me miserable
D) Because I love challenges and I want to ace this test
E) Because if I fail, I’ll be miserable
The only actual answer choices are B and D. The others are not really choices at all.
Something very powerful occurs when a real choice is made. But making a real choice is difficult, because it involves real thinking. And real thinking is hard to do. That is what the college process is really about.
A student who has made choices is in a position of power. Consider this familiar scenario:
The proctor says the dreaded word—“Begin”—and the whole classroom becomes a frenzy of shuffling papers as students turn to the first page as quickly as possible. The students have suddenly become robots following orders in a reflexive manner. This is a very bad way to start and unfortunately, most of us do this. Instead, try something better. Before you start, take a moment, look around, take a deep breath or two, and calmly choose to begin the test. It takes some courage and a lot of practice to do this.
If you can find a way to actually choose to take the test, for your own individual reason, this leads to a sense of empowerment. From this vantage point, you will soon see that this test is conquerable! It is not something to be feared or loathed. It is a mountain, but it can be scaled! You can achieve truly amazing results if you make this important shift of perspective.