<p>I’m gonna try to make this short and sweet. Spring break just started for me, and I’m almost done with all of my school work (our teachers love to load us up with work during break). I took the SAT in Jan., and did poorly due to anxiety. I want to start prepping for the SAT, but for some reason I have an incredible urge to play Call of Duty. It’s almost as if it’s an addiction. I want to spend 8 hours practicing and doing SAT related preparation, but all I want to do is play CoD! I haven’t played in about 2 months due to school. What should I do to stay on track and refrain from this “urge?”</p>
<p>Make it impossible for you to play Call of Duty. Lend it to a friend, ask your parents to take it away for a little while, do whatever it takes to make it absolutely impossible for you to play it.
Think about your future/college and what you want to get out of it. Use this to focus on the SAT.</p>
<p>Take the cord and tell your parents to lock it away. Tell yourself that there’s a real possibility of failure - imagine yourself crying when you get “X” nightmare score. That’ll hopefully give you enough of a jolt to focus on the real task at hand.</p>
<p>Haha uh…well I read COD and it gave me an urge to tell you about something I call the last stand, which happens in COD too.</p>
<p>In math, be careful of the SAT’s last stands. This is where you throw up one final obstacle to trick you, one final step you must take (something really easy) after you’ve solved the hard part of the question.</p>
<p>For example, you might have spent all your time solving for x. That’s great. It’s one of your answer choices…but don’t circle it yet! Check again…are they REALLY asking for x? Or do they want to know 2x or x-squared or y?</p>
<p>Or if you solved for the perimeter…were they asking for area?</p>
<p>If you solved the radius, are they asking for diameter instead?</p>
<p>Etc. Be very careful. Train yourself to watch out for these last stands. They happen A LOT on the SAT Math.</p>
<p>A few thoughts…I work with students with test anxiety all the time, and you’re exhibiting some classic behaviors. Time to a) get a grip and b) cut yourself some slack.</p>
<p>First, you’re transforming into Captain Avoidance. It’s just like someone that’s got a phobia of heights. They just don’t go upstairs! With you, you’re afraid of the SAT. That’s why you had trouble in January. There’s any number of reasons you might have developed the fear, but it’s there. You’d probably rather lose a limb than pull out the blue book at this point 
You can get a handle on it, but you’ll need to do a lot of looking at things with a different perspective. There’s strategies that will help, so it’s not hopeless!</p>
<p>Next, you’ve got some serious all or nothing thinking going on (probably also contributing to the anxiety). It’s either you’re going to study for 8 hours straight or you’re going to play Call of Duty for 8 hours straight. Isn’t a compromise a better strategy? It’s just not reasonable to expect yourself to do SAT prep for 8 hours a day when you’re on spring break. You work hard and you deserve time off. Come up with a more realistic plan, and don’t be so hard on yourself. You’ll be happier and your study time will probably be more productive.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Thank you for replying and such. I enjoyed the tips and all. I packed it up and put it down in the basement. I’ve had a tough and grueling junior year. I really haven’t had much r&r time, which is why such things are tempting me. I’ll try to stay focused. I think I have anxiety due to my Environment and the constant tension of whether or not I’ll truly achieve certain goals and measures. I guess I’ll try to open myself up in different ways in terms of approaching the SAT. Thanks for the advice everyone!</p>