Dreading the Test
What does test anxiety feel like? Some Students feel mainly physical distress symptoms, such as headaches, nausea, faintness, feeling too hot or too cold, etc.
Others express more emotion, wanting to cry or laugh too much, or feeling angry or helpless.
The major problem of test anxiety is usually the effect it has on your ability to think; it can cause you to blank out or have racing thoughts that are difficult to control.
Although many students feel some level of anxiety when writing exams, most can cope with that anxiety and bring it down to a manageable level.
What can you do to control test anxiety?
- Be well prepared for the test.
- Include as much self-testing in your review as possible.
- Maintain a healthy lifestyle: get enough sleep, good nutrition, exercise, some personal "down" time, and a reasonable amount of social interaction.
- As you anticipate the exam, think positively, remind yourself:
"I can do OK on this exam."
"I've studied and I know my stuff."
- Do some serious "thought stopping" if you find that you are worrying a lot, mentally comparing yourself to your peers or thinking about what others may say about your performance on this exam.
"Stop the thoughts."
- Before you go to bed on the night before the exam, make sure to collect anything you will need for the exam - pen, pencil, ruler, eraser, calculator, etc.
- Double check the time of the exam and the location.
- Set the alarm clock and then get a good night's sleep before the exam.
- Get to the exam on time - not too late but not too early.
- Don't talk to friends about the exam material before going into the exam.
- Sit in a location in the exam room where you will be distracted as little as possible.
- As papers are distributed, calm yourself down by taking some slow deep breaths.
- Make sure to read carefully any instructions on the exam.
- As you work on the exam, focus only on the exam, not on what other students are doing or thinking about past exams or future goals.
- If you feel very anxious in the exam, take a few minutes out and calm yourself down. Try the following:
- Stretch your arms and legs and then relax them again.
- Do this a couple of times.
- Take a couple of deep breaths.
- Do some positive internal self-talk: say to yourself,
I will be OK, I can do this
- Then take your time and get back into the questions.
- If the exam is more difficult than you anticipated, try to focus and just do your best.
It might be enough to get you through; even with a reasonable grade!
- When the exam is over, treat yourself. If you do not have any other commitments, maybe you can go see a movie with a friend. If you have other homework or exams to study for, you may need to postpone the treat. Maybe a half hour for a coffee with a friend or a quick swim in the pool will be the pick that you need.
You can take control of test anxiety so that your performance
on a test reflects your real standing in that course. If excessive levels
of test anxiety persist, however, talk to a counselor for some specialized
help. Our College Counseling Office is always available for students. Go to the Counseling website.
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