Post by The Big PINK One♥ on Feb 5, 2007 13:52:17 GMT -5
Before you cram for the next exam or totally ramble on that essay you need to write tomorrow, read this following guide to reduce test anxiety from Jelly Bean to reduce your chances of faiure.
REDUCE TEST ANXIETY
Most students experience some level of anxiety both before and during an exam. However, when anxiety begins to affect your exam performance, it becomes a real problem.
How Test Anxiety Happens: Setting Yourself Up to Fail
You set yourself up for test anxiety when you leave studying to the last minute, keep disorganized notes that don't help you to study, obsess over how much better friends or other students are doing, or worry about the possibility of failure.
The results of this kind of behavior can be disastrous. Your feelings of anxiety about the upcoming test grow until on test day you can actually feel physically sick. Your adrenline rushes up and the physical reactions to stress begin. You walk into the exam room with a headache and stomach cramps, sweating from every pore. When the teacher puts the paper in front of you, the page swims before your eyes. You may have difficulty reading and understanding the questions on the exam paper. You may "go blank" about key words, concepts or whole questions you know you studied. The worst is when it all comes back to you... five minutes after the exam is over.
How to Reduce Test Anxiety
You CAN avoid becoming just another text anxiety victim! Learning smart study and test preparation habits will put you on solid ground when it comes to taking test. You might still get a bit nervous - after all, they are testing you - but you won't feel the uncertainty and panic that you would if you didn't prepare. You will be confident that you are as prepared as possible for the challenge, and you will find it easier to remember and express ideas, concepts and facts during the exam. Follow these tips:
Study, study, study! Know the material well enough so that you can recall it even if you are under stress.
Build your confidence by studying throughout the semester, so you can avoid panicked cramming the night before the exam.
Study well. Avoid laziness, procrastination and day dreaming, Take breaks when needed, but concentrate hard when you study. Focus on learning the information and understanding it.
When you start to get distracted from studying, use relaxation techniques to revive. Take long deep breaths, do stretches and yawn with your mouth wide open to relax your body and reduce stress. Tense up your hands and feet in tight balls for 5 seconds, then flex them and shake them out fully to relax the muscles.
Learn to concentrate on the material you are studying by generating questions from your textbooks and lecture notes, then writing out full answers to them as practice.
Use a highlighter to mark up key words, concepts and examples in your textbooks and class notes. Do this right after you have studied a section, while your memory is still fresh. You will be thankful that you took the time to do this, when the test comes around.
Make charts, graphs and outlines which organize the information in your notes and textbooks.
Copy out important sections from your class notes or textbooks. Write them over and over on fresh paper. Writing down information repeatedly helps to seal the memory of it into your brain.
Set up a time to study with a buddy. Take turns explaining or repeating key ideas and concepts to each other that you know will be on the test. Saying it out loud in an explanation helps you get the facts right, and helps you remember it. Your friend can correct you where necessary and help you get the story straight on the test material.
