By: Stan Popovich
No matter how hard you’ve studied, you may still find yourself feeling anxious about an upcoming exam.
While some test anxiety is normal for most students, exam anxiety can have long-term negative effects on some students’ lives.
What Is Exam Anxiety?
Exam anxiety is the experience of feeling an intense moment of fear or panic before and/or during an exam or assessment. There are two types of exam anxiety intensities:
1. Low anxiety: Students who experience low anxiety may feel a little nervous about an upcoming exam but are still able to focus their attention on their studies. Usually, low anxiety students do not deal with intrusive thoughts or feel debilitated by the exam.
2. High anxiety: Students who experience high anxiety show an immediate anxiety reaction when exposed to the feared test situation. They may experience intense fear about the upcoming exam. High anxiety can lead some into a sense of panic.
Understand that exam anxiety is normal, however do not ignore any learning disabilities. Learning disabilities such as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or dyslexia can negatively affect your ability to study and concentrate, which can worsen anxiety. If you think that you may have a learning disability, your best bet is to seek treatment from a professional.
The Signs of Exam Anxiety
You may have exam anxiety if you experience the following symptoms before an exam:
• Feelings of dread, worry, or fear
• Headaches, stomach aches, nausea, and other physical symptoms of stress
• Inability to focus or concentrate on coursework
• Feelings of hopelessness, self-doubt, depression, or anger
• Increased heart rate
• Sweating
• Shortness of breath
Take Care of Yourself
By taking care of yourself both physically and mentally, you can reap the benefits of a healthy body and mind and improve your test taking.
- Physical exercise can be an effective way of improving your general well-being. To feel your best, try performing light aerobic exercise (such as light jogging or walking) on exam days.
- Do some deep breathing exercises. Take slow, deep breaths to calm your body and mind.
- Meditation can help you to relax. Practice mindfulness to focus on the present moment.
- Make time for social connection and reach for social support.
- Spend time outdoors.
- Do something you enjoy.
Establish A Pre-Test Routine
A pre-test routine can help maintain consistency between exams and eliminate some of the uncertainty causing your anxiety. Try adopting some of the following routines before your exam:
- Get plenty of sleep. A good night’s rest helps increase learning capacity and concentration.
- Try relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, meditation, and gentle stretching.
- Eat and drink something before an exam. An empty stomach can worsen anxiety.
- Give yourself positive words of affirmation. Assure yourself that everything will be okay, and that your value as a person isn’t tied to your exam performance.
- Understand the exam structure, question types, and time limits. Prepare accordingly.
- Use practice exams to get an idea of the type of exam you will be taking.
- Take meaningful regular breaks while studying.
Before You Take An Exam
When the day of the exam comes, it is important to think positively and to remind yourself that you can handle the situation. You can talk to a friend who can give you some reassurance.
- Arrive early. Give yourself time to settle in and avoid last-minute stress.
- Maintain positive thinking. Set reasonable expectations for yourself and remember that your self-worth should not be tied to the results of a test.
- Listen to some soothing music before you take the exam.
- Talk to others while you’re waiting to take the exam. Your fellow students and your teacher can help calm you down and make you feel relaxed.
- Remember that many teachers offer their students an opportunity to retake the exam for a variety of situations. Knowing this can help you relax when you start to feel anxious.
General Test Taking Strategies
1. Listen to the instructions: The teacher may offer details about the structure of the test, time limitations, grading techniques, or other items that could impact your approach. They may also point out steps that you are likely to miss or other tips to help improve your chances of success.
2. Look at the test: Look over the entire exam quickly before you get started. Doing so will help you understand the structure of the test and identify areas that may need more or less time. Once you read over the test, you can plan out how you want to approach each section of the exam to ensure that you have enough time to finish.
3. Answer the questions you know first: Do a first pass through the test to answer the “easy” questions or the ones you know right away. When you come to a question that you can’t answer quickly, skip it on this first pass. Don’t rush through this first pass but be mindful of the time that you must answer the other questions.
4. Answer the questions you skipped: Once you’ve done a first pass, you now have to go back and answer the questions you skipped. You might find some of these questions aren’t as challenging as you thought at first.
5. Make sure you finish everything: Once you think you’ve answered all the questions, double check to make sure you don’t miss any. Check for additional questions on the back of the paper or other places that you might have missed.
How To Improve Your Test Taking
Whenever you take an exam, begin to learn what works, what doesn’t work, and what you need to improve on in managing your fears and anxieties. Use what you have learned from taking your past exams to help you get prepared for the next one.
If you are still having trouble taking an exam, talk to your teacher about your concerns and see if he or she can recommend someone who can help you manage your fears, stresses, and anxieties.
A counselor from your school’s health center could help you better understand your test anxiety and could offer ways to help you. Many schools offer resources dedicated to helping students overcome test anxiety.
Like What You Read?
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