This insightful and practical guide for parents shows how they often undermine rather than encourage their teens' success on one of the most stressful standardized tests--the SAT--and what strategies will remedy the problem. In recent years this test has taken on fearsome proportions, matched only by the growing competition for slots at major universities. Success is now as much a matter of navigating the maze of changing testing structures, crippling self-conceptions, and family dynamics as it is about memorizing vocabulary words. Tutors Ned Johnson and Emily Warner Eskelsen tackle the trials of the SAT head-on, revealing that the way culture values this test is just as important as the answers teens fill in. Johnson and Eskelsen cover a wide range of topics including: (1) Anxiety and ways to avoid "choking" on the test; (2) Best ways to prepare before the test--from exercise to nutrition to sleep; (3) Family communication; (4) What the SAT is actually testing; (5) How test-taking strategies will help teens in all walks of life; and (6) Learning differences in teens and strategies for success. This book contains five parts. Part I is the Introduction. Part II, "The SAT: Standardized Testing and Underperformance", contains: (1) ETS and the SAT; (2) Clobbering the Critical Reading; (3) Mutilating the Math Section; and (4) Wrangling With the Writing Section. Part III, "Underperformance: The Manifestations", contains: (5) Anxiety; (6) Disincentives to Succeed; and (7) Learning and Performance Differences. Part IV, "Uncovering the Causes of Underperformance", contains: (8) Communication; and (9) Self-Image and the Testing Persona. Part V, "Overcoming Underperformance", contains: (10) Incentives to Succeed; (11) Confidence; (12) Planning to Succeed; and (13) Goals and Planning.