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The MasteryPrep Approach to Reducing Test Anxiety: Confidence Through Preparation

  • March 11, 2025

Test anxiety is one of the biggest obstacles students face when preparing for high-stakes exams like the ACT or SAT. It’s not just the pressure of the test day itself but also the emotional stress leading up to test day that often holds them back.

In fact, research shows that test anxiety can, unfortunately, prevent students from performing to the best of their ability and ultimately impact their scores. Students may freeze up during the test, even if they’ve spent months studying. And sometimes, it’s the buildup—the sheer dread of the test—that overwhelms them even before they walk into the exam room.

At MasteryPrep, we’ve found that understanding and tackling test anxiety is essential for helping students succeed. It’s not enough to simply teach content; we also need to prepare students mentally and emotionally for the test-taking experience. That’s why we’ve developed a holistic approach that addresses both the practical and psychological aspects of test prep.

  • Familiarity: Reducing Anxiety by Creating a Realistic Test Environment
The first and most important way we combat test anxiety is by ensuring students are familiar with what they’ll encounter on test day. Simply put, familiarity breeds confidence.

Think about it—how anxious would you be if you walked into a situation you’ve never encountered before? The unknown is a big source of anxiety for students. We help them avoid this by simulating the actual test environment in our practice sessions. We put students through realistic, timed practice tests so they know exactly what to expect. From the format to the timing to the pressure of working under a clock, we make sure students experience it all beforehand.

This practice is crucial. The ACT, SAT, and other standardized tests have predictable formats—students should never have to walk in blind. By experiencing the test format repeatedly in practice, they’re not just familiarizing themselves with the questions but also with how they feel under pressure. This reduces the unknowns and makes them more comfortable when it’s time to test for real.

  • Inoculation: Preparing Students for the Stressful Moments
While familiarity is key, it’s not enough. The next step is inoculation—preparing students for the specific challenges they will face during the test. This means addressing the tough moments before they happen and giving students a strategy to deal with them.

Here’s how we do it at MasteryPrep: We take time to walk students through what they’ll likely experience during the test, especially the difficult parts. For example, if a student’s target score on the ACT is 25, we explain what that means—how they’ll likely miss some questions, how there’ll be some moments of uncertainty. And instead of avoiding those hard moments, we face them head-on.

“We talk through the tough parts of the test,” says MasteryPrep CEO and Founder Craig Gehring. “Students often freeze when they encounter a difficult question. But by introducing them to the tough moments before they actually happen, we give them strategies to manage them and move forward.”

Whether they’re unsure of a math problem or stumped by a reading question, we make sure they understand how to approach those challenges without panicking. We build their mental toolkit so that, when they face difficulty, they’re prepared to take action rather than freeze.

"As teachers and administrators, we're well familiar with mini-lessons, but we want to do them in a very targeted way when we're thinking about college readiness."

Dr. Mya Asberry, Director of Instructional Services
  • Fluency Illusion: The Importance of Real Practice
A huge contributor to test anxiety is something we at MasteryPrep call the fluency illusion. This happens when students feel like they’re prepared because they’ve reviewed the material but haven’t actually practiced applying it under test conditions. The result? They may feel confident, but when the test comes, they freeze because they haven’t internalized the skills enough to perform under pressure.

Here’s a simple example: Let’s say a student is preparing for a history test. They’ve memorized the timeline of the Revolutionary War and have reviewed it every day. When they look at the timeline, they feel good—they know it well. But when they’re asked to recreate the timeline from memory on the test, they blank out. Why? Because they’ve only been practicing reading the timeline, not actively recalling it. The test isn’t about reading—it’s about retrieval, applying what they’ve learned under pressure.

“Fluency illusion is one of the biggest contributors to test anxiety,” Gehring says. “Students may review material, but until they practice under test conditions, they haven’t really prepared for the pressure they’ll face on the actual exam.”

That’s why, at MasteryPrep, we focus on providing real, active practice. Instead of simply reviewing content or skimming through practice questions, we give students extensive practice—lots of questions that mimic what they’ll face on test day.

A typical program might offer 2-3 practice questions after a lesson. We go much further. Our students may complete 25-30 practice questions per session, ensuring they have plenty of opportunities to practice retrieval and apply what they’ve learned. The more practice they have, the more fluent they become. And the more fluent they are, the less likely they are to feel anxiety when faced with a difficult question.

  • Putting It All Together: Reducing Test Anxiety and Boosting Confidence
MasteryPrep is built around the idea that overcoming test anxiety isn’t just about understanding the material—it’s about preparing emotionally and mentally for the test experience. By focusing on familiarity, inoculation, and fluency, we give students the tools they need to manage their anxiety, build their confidence, and perform at their best.

Whether it’s helping them feel comfortable with the test format, teaching them how to stay calm under pressure, or ensuring they’ve practiced enough to internalize what they’ve learned, we’re all about making students feel ready—inside and out. By the time they walk into the test, they won’t be caught off guard. They’ll be confident, capable, and ready to handle whatever the test throws at them.

RELATED READING:

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Why does engagement matter in test prep, and how we make it a central focus in everything we do in the build-up to test day?

Test anxiety is a real challenge, but it’s one that can be managed with the right approach. At MasteryPrep, we give students the mental and emotional preparation they need to reduce anxiety and perform at their best. Our approach is grounded in creating familiarity, building emotional resilience, and ensuring thorough practice—all key to overcoming test anxiety and unlocking success on test day.

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