Test Anxiety

1
Test Anxiety
2
Test Anxiety

• Youre not alone if your nerves go haywire over a
  test. Test anxiety comes in different shapes and
  sizes from a small feeling of butterflies to a
  severe case of physical sickness. There are
  three reactions in test anxiety

3
Test Anxiety

• (1) Mental blockade reaction where the gates
  close to the info you need to access
• (2) Physical reaction where you sweat, feel
  butterflies, or feel ill
• (3) Both mental and physical reactions.

4
Here are some ways to combat insecure, nervous
feelings
5
Consider the Worst.

• Whats the worst that can really happen? Fail
  test ? Fail class ? Lose scholarship ? Kicked out
  of school ? Live with parents the rest of your
  life ? STOP the insanity! You may chuckle about
  the absurdity when you deduce the outcomes. The
  first deduction failing a test may be
  justified. Will you survive? Probably so. Just
  take the class again if you need to. The hard
  facts are rarely as bad as our worst fears.
  Facing your fears make them more manageable.

6
Avoid Other People.

• Sometimes a cadre of students will gather in the
  hallway before a test to hammer out last minute
  details. Also, you may be asked, How much did
  you study for this test? Avoid these situations
  like the plague. Your anxiety will only be
  fueled by this situation as you begin to wonder
  if you studied enough. You dont want to
  second-guess your confidence of knowing the
  material.

7
PRACTICE HOW YOU PLAY.

• If your test is in BIO 139, go there to study
  and/or take a practice test. Put yourself in the
  location in which you learned the material this
  will make for a faster recall of information.

8
Practice Relaxation Techniques.

• Anyone up for some yoga? Go to a happy place.
  Run around campus. Hey everyone, lets meditate!
  Rid your body of nervous energy and force it to
  harness the mental energy you possess. Taking
  deep breaths is the simplest of these techniques.
  (Squeezing and relaxing muscles while sitting in
  class helps). The idea is to relax your body by
  focusing your mind on one thing at the exclusion
  of everything else. You will greatly increase
  your performance with a confident attitude than
  with a stressed attitude.

9
Study Early and Often.

• Studying early and often will instill confidence
  and security about the material.

10
Get Professional Help

• If you find yourself withdrawn, having thoughts
  of death, depressed for several days, or feel
  hopeless, youre not alone. These feelings are
  common for students. For young adults ages
  15-25, suicide is the second leading cause of
  death.