Sweating palms, shaking hands, rapidly beating heart, queasy stomach, and throbbing headache; are these the symptoms of a first date? Well they could be, but in this case they are the manifestations of test anxiety, a problem millions of people have faced at least once, if not many times in their lives. While it’s nice to know you aren’t alone, realizing that the person next to you is suffering as great a case of nerves as you are still won’t help you overcome yours. There is hope, however, and there are plenty of practical tips and tricks that will help you face any kind of test with confidence.
Prepare, prepare, prepare. This cannot be overemphasized. Nothing will help you if you don’t know the material the test will cover. However, there are tips that can help you with preparation. The first is to write down a study strategy. Put the material you need to know in an outline and allot time to study for each section. Give yourself a realistic goal and be sure to include time for breaks. This is especially important given the next piece of advice. Never, ever cram for a test. It won’t help and it won’t work. Another good study method is the use of flash cards. Making your own and then studying them will help cement the material in your brain.
Garbage In, Garbage Out. Sure, you’ve heard the term before, but in this case, take it literally. The night before and the day of a test, do not consume caffeine, sugar or alcohol. Eat a healthy, well balanced breakfast. Exercise will help tone your mind as well as your body and is a terrific stress releaser.
Positive Energy. You need it now more than ever, and there are several ways to create it. Use imagery. Close your eyes and picture yourself sailing through a test with confidence. Imagine getting the test back with a nice fat A or 100%. Practice deep breathing, slowly in through the nose, out through the mouth. Talk yourself into doing well with positive thinking. Tell yourself over and over again that you are confident and poised and ready for the test. You will do well. Avoid negativity in others. If you are taking a classroom test, do not talk to the person who sits next to you who can never refrain from voicing fears about any test. Listening to negativity will help plant it in your own mind. Wait until the last minute to enter the classroom if you have to, when the possibility for conversation is over. Lastly, don’t study during the hour before the test. Relax, take a walk, do anything but go over last minute details. This is a form of cramming and if you have prepared well to begin with, you won’t need it, but you will need a clear and relaxed mind.
Be On Friendly Terms With Your Test. What exactly does that mean? Skim through all the questions on the test before you start to answer them to get an idea of what will come. If you are prepared, (yes, there’s that word again), you will be pleasantly surprised to find that you know more than you thought. Remember, negativity will tell you that you don’t know enough. Read the entire question thoroughly before you answer. This is especially important if you are facing a multiple choice question, which is the most common type for standardized tests. Just because the first answer looks correct, it doesn’t mean there isn’t a trick question or another answer is a better fit. If you become stuck on a question, skip it and go back to it later. Sometimes answering related questions further on in the test will help jog your memory. Also keep in mind that some standardized tests do not penalize you if you do not answer a question, but will use a wrong answer in the score. Either wear a watch or sit somewhere that you can keep an eye on a clock. While this has the potential to produce anxiety, if you learn to relax, it can help you focus on answering questions in a timely manner. As before, if you get stuck, move on.
Relax Finally. If after doing everything mentioned above you still find that you are tense and anxious during the test, practice some relaxation techniques. If your hands are shaking or cramped from gripping a pencil too tightly, put the pencil down for a moment and clench and relax your hand. Massage them lightly. Tightly pinch the space between your thumb and index finger to release a tension headache. Gently roll your head to release tension from your neck and shoulders. Take a deep, cleansing breath. Then face your test again with renewed confidence.
Don’t expect to become totally test anxiety free the first time around. That might qualify as an unrealistic goal, which won’t help you the next time around. But practice makes perfect and with various forms of education now stretching from kindergarten to old age you can be sure to face tests many times in your life and you can certainly learn not only not to dread them but to face them with confidence.
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These are all good suggestions and one thing that may have been left out is bringing mindfulness to the moment. Anxiety often comes from stress that is compounded by the mind running rampant with worrying, expecially when it comes to test anxiety.
As a Psychologist in Los Angeles, Ca, I have found that bringing a bit of mindfulness, being able to pull the attention back from worrying to the present moment and not judging yourself for it, can have an enormous effect on test anxiety.
If interested in learning more about mindfulness, feel free to click on my name.
Elisha Goldstein, Ph.D.
Comment by Elisha Goldstein, Ph.D. — July 28, 2008 @ 10:13 am