How to Wait for SAT Scores

After months of preparation and perspiration, your SAT test date looms large. And then suddenly, it’s passed. But now what? The test is over, it’s out of your hands, but you still lack that all-important nugget of information: THE SCORE. At least two and half weeks will elapse between the test date and when scores are posted to the web. Though this period might feel like an eternity, it does not need to be excruciating! Here are a few tips for teens and their parents trying to weather this potentially stressful period.

For teens:

• Manage your stress levels in all of the usual ways: get enough rest, eat nutritious foods, exercise, stretch, meditate.
• Go easy on yourself, for at least a couple of days. Allow yourself to veg out and recover. Play some video games, hang out with your friends, get a pedicure, take a nap.
• Reward yourself for getting through the test, no matter what your score.
• Keep the test in perspective. Your score does not determine your value as a person. Though important, it is just a number. Colleges see you as more than just your SAT score. And, of course, so do your friends and family.
• Focus on other ways to strengthen your college applications: work on your essays, keep up with your courses, and stay involved in your extra-curricular activities.
  

For parents:

• Don’t hover, don’t hassle, don’t count down the days. Your teen is probably fixated on waiting for the score report. Don’t encourage this! No need to add your own anxiety to the mix.
• Instead, encourage your teen to unwind.
• Plan something simple, fun, and relaxing to celebrate that the test date is now behind you. Suggest an activity you both enjoy, prepare your kid’s favorite dessert, or take the family out to the movies.
• Remind your child that he or she has already made it through the toughest parts—studying for and actually taking the test!
• Most importantly, in subtle and unassuming ways, make sure your kid knows that self-worth and SAT scores are not related in any way whatsoever. No matter what, you love your child and are very proud of him or her.

Note: This piece originally appeared as a guest post I wrote for Vanessa Van Petten's website www.radicalparenting.com.