A parent remarked that his son had begun his SAT study with a combination of "zeal, anxiety, and stress". Let me address the "Stressed and Anxious" aspect:

Test Prep with Ivy Bound REDUCES stress/anxiety. We teach students new skills that will help in the areas they most worry about. And we get students to do practice tests, over and over. After 5 or 6 of these, students know what to expect of the test and what to expect of themselves ON the test. The anxiety about the "unknown" should evaporate.

A second anxiety, anxiety about the "importance" of the SAT, still often exists. That I can't eliminate; but since most students already know the SAT is important, now I can reduce that anxiety with this message:

Push hard, but know that if you fall short of full SAT success you'll still be successful beyond high school. You'll go to a good college somewhere, you'll have a career, you can marry well, your parents will still love you. In working really hard for SAT success, you will almost certainly have a higher level of success that you otherwise would see.

So I like telling students who currently have mid-level scores (1550 - 1750): Shoot for the 500 point improvement. If you fall short and "only" rise 350 points, you just GAINED 350 POINTS! Even a 150 point improvement puts most students into a whole new tier of likely college acceptances, and/or higher scholarship award money.

Students who takes a "full throttle" attitude inherently reduce anxiety. That's because they are looking UPward at a hill they are beginning to climb. Falling down is not even a thought unless you are looking down from heights. Look upward, knowing there's a safety net below, and I suspect your anxiety will lessen.