February 7th, 2010
Is fear derailing you?
The more I work as a test prep performance coach the more I see how fear not only derails test takers, but immobilizes them. It is the single biggest cause of poor test performance.
What are they afraid of? (And if you’re a fearful test taker and are reading this: what are you afraid of?) Doing poorly? Failing? Not living up to standards? All kinds of consequences like not getting into the college of you choice, not qualifying for a scholarship, making someone (a teacher, parents, our yourself) disappointed?
Read the rest of this entry »
January 31st, 2010
You know that phrase they use at raffles? “You have to be present to win.” The same is true of tests, as in life.
One thing I’ve noticed over and over again with people who have trouble with tests– they are flipping from the past (”Oh no, I didn’t study the right things”) to the future (”If I fail I’m going to lose my scholarship”). Though both statements may be true, going in either direction (past or future) is not helpful when you’re taking a test. At that moment, when you are reading and answering questions, you want and need to be one place and one place only: in the present.
Only by being present can we do the job we need to do, at that moment. Only by being present can we develop the awareness that we’re veering off track, and then get back on track.
Read the rest of this entry »
December 7th, 2009
Is there a pill for test stress? No. Do I have a bag of magic tricks? No.
There’s no kit with a top hat and a wand that you wave over your head and then
Presto! You can now sail through tests without studying and without concentrating.
I can show you what to do. You have to finish the job.
Read the rest of this entry »
December 4th, 2009
Students and parents make a great audience
We had a book reading and signing at Clayton Books in Clayton CA last night. I greatly enjoy the interaction with students and parents.
The lively discussion produced some interesting questions. One, from a parent, was: “What if my child has trouble focusing while studying, but not during a test?”
Read the rest of this entry »
November 30th, 2009
Have you ever wondered what the purpose of your life is?
Common answers are “success,” “happiness” or “satisfaction.”
While these are all worthwhile goals, here’s what I have come to believe: the purpose of your life is to face every challenge, every test, as a chance for you to become the person you are meant to be.
Life is a test for you to become your highest self.
Read the rest of this entry »
November 28th, 2009
While I was writing my book, there was a knock on my door. It was Joe Rizzo, an older man who came to fix our chimney.
He asked me what I do for a living, and I told him simply that I coach people who take tests. He shook his head. “Life is hard,” he said, pointing his finger and jabbing it into the air. “Hard. You have to work for everything. You know what the problem is today? Everyone wants his tummy rubbed. They want things done for them. Whatever you get in life, you have to work hard for. Life is a test.”
He’s right. Life is a test…
Read the rest of this entry »
November 27th, 2009
Agnes, 4th grader, uses The Workbook!
At our Chinese-American Thanksgiving feast, our cousins Tommy and Daisy told us about their fourth-grader Agnes, and how she’s using THE WORKBOOK FOR TEST SUCCESS. “She’s going through the checklists and thinking about herself and checking off things,” Tommy told us. While the book is written for high school and college students, knowing that a younger child finds it relevant is great news. Many parents of young kids are buying the book because they (the parents) want to know how to help prepare their children for all the pressures of test-taking and especially to help reduce test-taking anxiety. If the book can help teach effective study skills also to a 4th grader, we’re delighted!
As a matter of fact, I wrote a chapter especially for parents. so this is not a test prep book only for students. I want parents to have the help they need to guide their kids through the treacherous terrain of test taking.
Let us know your stories about younger kids and test-taking anxiety, and how you teach them effective study skills.
November 25th, 2009
An interested reader: high school sophomore
On Sunday there was a book signing at Barnes & Noble in San Bruno, California
It was so interesting to see who came up to the table to ask about the book and question me about their own issues regarding test taking.
Students: a number of high school students were curious about the book. Their issues? Getting nervous during tests. Procrastination while they’re supposed to be studying. Losing confidence when they have a difficult question. The test prep books on the market don’t adequately handle these issues. Yet, when mastered as effective study skills they can make the difference between a high and low test score.
Read the rest of this entry »
November 24th, 2009
When people come to me for performance coaching, my first thought is: What does this person need to perform at his or her best?
Of course they have to learn the subject matter—I never make light of that—but through my experience working with a wide range of test takers for all kinds of tests, i can say with conviction that is only part of the picture.
Read the rest of this entry »
November 23rd, 2009
Charles make the model his own
Want the best way to reduce your test anxiety? Personalize the training model I present in the book.
I gave a talk at Oregon Health Sciences University, School of Dentistry, last week and one of the 3rd year students, Charles Nguyen, took the 3 legged stool and ran with it.
Read the rest of this entry »
