Thousands of intelligent students seize up during standardized test season. They're the ones in the back of the gymnasium, frantically writing to the last minute and choking under the pressure of an egg timer. I am this student.

    Perhaps test anxiety doesn't come from the actual questions sitting in front of us, but rather the fact that these standardized test scores can be life altering. These scores affect our admittance to the right schools, our ability to gain scholarships and our ability to qualify for certain types of aid. The weight of these tests had many of us prematurely self-destructing, and honestly, it doesn't get any easier as we get older.

    Want to do an MBA or law degree? Your qualifying test scores could mean the difference between a great life transition and a mediocre one. Below is a list of test prep resources. If you're spending your summer prepping, these might just help you gain the confidence you need to come out on top.

    1.Watermelon Express: NYC-based Watermelon Express is a learning company that claims to have helped 10,000 members with it's mobile, desktop and web applications. The company provides students with detailed performance analysis, projected scores, online forums and customized review pages. Mobile applications are currently available on the iPhone, Blackberry and Android and separate study sets for the GRE, LSAT, SAT, GMAT, MCAT are priced reasonably at $20 dollars each.

    2.Grockit: Grockit prepares students for the SAT, ACT, GMAT, LSAT, MCAT and GRE. This service emphasizes the group learning experience and students invite friends from Yahoo, Gmail and Plaxo to join in the site's games. This is particularly useful for the SATs when large groups of peers are likely to be studying together. The service offers a point system for tests and games, and displays student scoring in terms of community testing percentiles. Additional features include real time chat and the ability to find online tutors. Tutorial rates range from zero to $20 dollars per hour. Grockit is free for the first 35 questions or $40 dollars per year for unlimited access to questions, diagnostic tests and scheduled group games.

    3.Brightstorm: Brightstorm focusses on preparing teens for the SAT, ACT and AP-level high school courses. This tool is particularly useful for visual learners because programs offer hours of video courses, strategies and practice exams. What's interesting about this preparation tool is that while it provides knowledge-based tests and quizzes, it also teaches students strategies to make educated guesses. For example, in one video the instructor says, "On the ACT English, the shortest answer is correct a third of the time." Brightstorm packages are priced at $99 dollars per test and a 1-800 line is available for questions.

    4.EPrep: EPrep also prepares students for the SAT, ACT, PSAT and high school subjects using video instructions. Students complete practice tests in a timed environment, receive grades and review test answers via video tutorials. EPrep offers a free 7 day trial period and packages generally range in price between $69-$249 dollars. This service takes a more conventional classroom-style approach to teaching so it's better for those that excel in this type of environment. For those that prefer a more interactive experience, Watermelon Express and Grockit might be a better fit.

    5.Knewton: Prep Me is a learning environment for students interested in taking the PSAT, ACT and SAT. This service offers an initial diagnostic test and then builds a personalized study schedule for students. Similar to other programs, students can chat with tutors, take practice quizzes and analyze their strengths and weaknesses. The service is currently expanding to offer testing in the GMAT, MCAT and LSAT and is priced between $300-$700 dollars. That being said, the company boasts an average 305 point increase on the SAT for grade 11 students. The company is currently offering premium services for free to students in the State of Maine.

    6.Knewton: Knewton is another program that adapts a study plan for students. The company specializes in GMAT, GRE, SAT and LSAT testing and matches videos and lessons to a students "learning arc". Students can interact via a live on-demand video classroom and the company offers results or a money back guarantee. Courses are priced at $890 dollars for 15 teaching sessions and more than 45 classroom hours. While this is a particularly high price tag for testing services, if a couple hundred dollars is the cost of qualifying for a scholarship, perhaps the service is worth it.

    成千上萬名天資聰穎的考生都要為標準化考試忙得焦頭爛額。他們坐在考場的后排，不顧一切地奮筆疾書到最后一分鐘，被計時器逼迫得喘不過氣來。我就是這樣一名考生。

    恐怕考試焦慮癥并不來源于考題本身，而是標準化考試可以改變命運的事實。考試成績會關系到我們被哪一所大學錄取，能不能拿到獎學金，有沒有資格取得某一等級的助學金。這些考試的份量之重，讓我們中間的很多人過早地毀了自己的前途，而且，隨著年齡逐漸增大，這些考試也越來越不好對付。

    想讀MBA或者是法學學位？你的考試成績既可能讓你飛黃騰達，也可能讓你泯然眾人。以下是幾個備考資源，如果你在準備夏季的考試，這些東西也許會幫助你找到從眾人中脫穎而出的信心吧。

    1.Watermelon Express:位于紐約城的Watermelon Express是一家學習公司，它聲稱已通過自己的手機、電腦和web應用程序幫助了一萬名會員。它向考生提供具體的成績分析、預計分數、在線論壇和自定義回顧頁面等服務。Watermelon Express的手機程序現在可以應用于iPhone、黑莓和Android,擁有GRE、LSAT、SAT、GMAT、MCAT的學習包，學習包售價不貴，每個20美元。

    2.Grockit:Grockit 幫助考生準備SAT、ACT、GMAT、LSAT、MCAT和GRE考試。它強調小組學習的重要性，考生可以從Yahoo、Gmail和Plaxo邀請好友。Grockit對SAT尤其有用，因為很多人通常都在一起學習。這項服務還提供了一個測試和游戲的積分系統，并能顯示出考生得分在群體中占第多少個百分位。附加功能還包括實時聊天以及尋找網上教程。教程每小時費用從0到20美元不等。Grockit對于前35個考題免費，而支付40美元的年費可以無限制地答題、參加診斷測試以及預定時間的集體游戲。

    3.Brightstorm:Brightstorm 專注于幫助青少年準備SAT、ACT考試和高中AP課程。它提供了數小時的視頻課程、備考策略和模擬考試，因此對視覺學習者幫助甚多。這款備考工具的有趣之處在于，在提供以知識為主題的測驗和問答同時，它還會授以學生猜題策略。比如，教師在一部視頻中說道，"在ACT英語測試中，最短的選項正確的概率是三分之一。"Brightstorm每種考試的學習包售價99美元，可以通過撥打1-800熱線提問。

    4.EPrep:EPrep 用視頻教學的方式幫助學生備考SAT、ACT、PSAT和高中課程。考生可以在規定時間的環境下完成模擬考試，獲得分數并通過視頻教程查看答案。 EPrep提供7天的試用期，學習包的價格在69-249美元之間不等。Eprep采取的是一種更為傳統的課堂式教學環境，比較適合在傳統環境中成績不錯的考生。對于更喜歡互動式環境的學生，Watermelon Express和Grockit是較好的選擇。

    5.Knewton:Prep Me是為有興趣參加PSAT、ACT和SAT的考生準備的學習環境。該服務會在用戶首次使用時進行摸底測驗，然后為考生建立起個人化的學習計劃。同其他應用類似，在Prep Me中學生可以同教師聊天，參加模擬問答，分析出自己的長項與弱點。Prep Me目前正在擴大業務，提供的考試服務還將包括GMAT、MCAT和LSAT,售價在300-700美元之間。據說，該公司聲稱能將11年級的SAT分數平均提高305分。目前，公司為緬因州的學生提供免費的增值服務（link）.

    6.Knewton:Knewton是另一款為學生制定學習計劃的軟件。公司專門從事GMAT、GRE、SAT和LSAT的備考，將視頻和課程同考生的"learning.arc"文件匹配起來。學生可以通過請求式視頻課堂進行互動。課程價格為890美元，包括15次課程以及超過45個課時。這在備考服務中可是當仁不讓的高價，但如果花這幾百美元能幫你拿到獎學金，那么還是物有所值的。