Parents and teenagers who’ve just gotten your December SAT and ACT scores:
Know that December test scores tend to be disappointing.
You’ve been practicing for months now, and this is often students’ first real test. But you’re not as good yet as you know you can be - and the score shows it.
Here’s the thing: if my students could take ONE lesson from our tutoring that’s more important than any other, it’s probably *how to respond to setbacks, failures, and challenges*.
Four key points along these lines:
Take the time you need to feel your disappointment and frustration. This is part of the process.
Ask yourself: did I give my best effort? Yes, you’ve worked hard, but if you taken an honest inventory, were there ways in which you could have approached this test MORE effectively? Could you have used your time differently, or chosen a different approach that maybe you were afraid of, that would have helped you more?
Commit: I will learn everything I can from this result. As Tom Brady says, there is no losing - you’re either winning or learning.
Decide: I will stick with this, no matter what, until I get the result that I know I’m capable of. I will. not. quit.
When this becomes your habitual response to setbacks, you’ll have gained something SO much more valuable than a high SAT or ACT score ever could. You’ll become indomitable for the rest of your life.
Sure, a higher score on the SAT or ACT would have had you in a great mood today. But a lifelong response of resiliency in the face of difficulty will prove to be worth infinitely more.
You’ll achieve what you want to achieve, and become the person you want to become. Isn’t that what we’re really here for?
#sat #act #testscores #testprep #growthwise #resilience #tutoring #growth #mindset #teenagers #parents #jimtreadway
