October is a busy month for standardized test-taking; juniors will be taking the PSAT, and a lot of seniors will be taking what for many of them will be the last SAT they will take in their lifetime (that milestone alone is worth celebrating).
For PSAT test-takers (and their parents), remember that the PSAT is just a practice test. Its purpose is to show you how you would likely do on the SAT (which is NOT a practice test). That means that even if you somehow managed to achieve the lowest PSAT test score in the history of college admissions, it can't hurt your chances of getting in to college. Yes, for particularly great test-takers, the PSAT score is a predominate factor in determining your eligibly for National Merit Scholarships, but for most testers, the PSAT is nothing to stress about. Do you best and use the PSAT for what it is–a non-threatening chance to test the test-taking waters and help you later make decisions about how to prepare for the SAT.
For SAT test-takers, I'd just like to remind you that your SAT score is not a measure of your intelligence or of your worth as a human being. Lots of smart people struggle with the SAT, and lots of those people go on to be very successful during and after college. So do your best, accept whatever score you get, and move on. I don't mean to be flippant about this, and I acknowledge that the SAT is an important factor of admissions at many colleges. But far too many students have had their confidence ruined by test scores that just wouldn't go as high as they'd like them to go, and you shouldn't allow yourself to be one of those people. If you'd like some encouragement, check out some of the over 800 colleges who've decided that low SAT or ACT scores don't necessarily have to hurt your chances of admission to their freshman classes.