Dealing With Test Anxiety

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Image courtesy of programwitch

Many students get very nervous about tests and exams. Of course, this anxiety is usually due to a (possibly valid) fear that you are not prepared enough for the test. A few weeks ago, Michael’s guest post talked about preparing for tests. If you always feel that you could have been better prepared, refer to his post for advice.

However, if you do experience test anxiety, for whatever reason, keep reading.

Anxiety can be a detriment to your test-taking abilities just as much as a lack of preparation. Being too nervous before a test is very bad for your recall and memory. You are more likely to forget everything if all you can think about is how well you’re going to do.

Negative thoughts are even worse. Simply having a nervous feeling isn’t nearly as bad as thinking about how awful it will be if you fail this test, or how you really should have studied more.

How can you avoid negative thoughts? Stay away from other negative people. Don’t listen to the other people waiting to take the exam who are talking about how hard it’s going to be, and how they’re going to fail. In fact, I also don’t recommend cramming with other students. Don’t even listen to them if they are reviewing information for the test. First, cramming does no good for your brain, and second, your stress level will only increase. If you’re surrounded, put in some headphones and turn on some relaxing music. Or turn on some un-relaxing music if you have to drown out some of your fellow students.

One of the most obvious ways to be less nervous about a test is to study for the test. Make sure you’ve devoted enough time to process the information. Learn as much as you can, and have confidence that you’re as well-prepared as you can be.

Don’t ever cram right before a test. Don’t bring handouts to review. Don’t look through your book. Don’t glance at your notes. Don’t cram. It will only cause you to feel more stress, and may even confuse the information you already learned.

Along those same lines, don’t ever stay up all night studying for a test. Stop studying early enough that you can get a reasonable amount of sleep. Don’t think that the longer you study, the more you learn. In fact, your ability to process all that information decreases rapidly when you are tired, as does your ability to recall and express it during the test. Be sure you sleep.

What if you’re about to take the test and you’re still nervous? Try to relax. Breathe deeply. Think about something (anything) other than the test. Close your eyes and pretend it’s not happening. Remind yourself that you are prepared, and you will do fine. For some people, telling yourself that it’s not the end of the world if you don’t do well is helpful, but others should not even think of the possibility of doing poorly. Try to relax the muscles in your body. Ask a friend for a massage, even. (You can ask a stranger if you want, but they might look at you funny.)

If all else fails, see the image above.

Next: What’s Your Learning Style?