Preparing for the SATs can be a daunting experience for your teen, and sometimes even you can feel the pressure as a parent. However, there are a lot of things you can do to make it a richer experience and to support their growth as individuals.
This short guide explores different ways that you can prepare your teen for the challenges of the SATs to set them up for success.
1. Sign Up Your Teen for an SAT Prep Course
One of the best ways for a parent to prepare teens for an important test is to enlist the help of courses that specialize in SAT preparation. This will give your teen an edge in the exam because such courses offer the experience and technical expertise necessary to guide your kid through the more complicated areas of SAT preparation. As another advantage, your teen will be able to understand complicated concepts more efficiently with comprehensive and thorough guidance.
2. Help Them Cope With the Pressure
The first thing that you have to recognize is that this is a challenging period for your teen. The SAT is one of the determining factors of which college that they get into. If you’re feeling the pressure, it’s probably two-fold for them.
You must be a person whom they can rely on for emotional support. That being said, it’s important that you are always present to give them motivation and guidance every step of the way.
During the test preparation process, you should be mindful of their mental health and not add unnecessary pressure to what they’re already undergoing. Teens nowadays might not talk about the anxiety that they have.
3. Familiarize Yourself with the Material
Knowing the material yourself will allow you to guide your teen in their journey towards SAT greatness. It will enable you to guide them through the course correctly should they need a little direction.
Another thing that’s great about knowing the material is that it allows you to answer questions that they might have and identify problem areas that they are facing. In a sense, you can be your teen’s tutor should the need arise.
4. Help Them Plot Out a Study Plan or Schedule
One concern that your teen will face is the proper scheduling of study sessions and the ever-changing nature of their other activities. It’s vital that you can help them with a study schedule earlier on.
Sticking to a schedule will ensure that they are right on track when it comes to their review, and it also makes sure that they cover the topics that they need to prepare for. A schedule also prevents unnecessary cramming, which can lead to added pressure and, at times, anxiety for your teen.
By being able to study earlier, your teen will be able to cover more material and allot more time perfecting subjects that they could be having issues in. This is a more holistic approach to studying.
5. Consider Getting on an SAT Preparation Program
There are a lot of programs available online that allow your teen to do self-study; and some of these applications will enable them to study no matter where they are. These are great ways for testing know-how. The practice questions make for an excellent springboard to get familiar with the material.
6. Encourage Your Teen to Take a Baseline Test
One of the best ways to assess your teen’s current performance and knowledge is to take a baseline test. This will determine which parts of the exam they already excel in and which sections they still have to focus on improving.
By doing this, you can adequately divide study time up to focus on subjects where your teen could work on more.
7. Guide Them through Continuous Practice
Practice makes perfect, and this is the same thing with SAT examinations. The more your teen goes through practice materials and questions, the better they get at the test. Constant practice can help them in getting excellent scores on the actual test.
There are plenty of places to get practice tests, and it is encouraged that you get as much of them as possible to provide them to your teen. These tests are great for test preparation.
8. Allow Them Time to Rest
Your teen won’t perform well when they are constantly under pressure, so always make time to tell them you appreciate their hard work and that rest and recreation are just as important as study time. Rest is sometimes all they need to get going after arduous review sessions.
As a parent, you need to be able to be your teen’s number one cheerleader and support system. This is a hard time for them, but with enough planning, you can prepare them to get optimal scores on the exam.