OVERCOMING TEST ANXIETY

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OVERCOMING TEST ANXIETY

• Created by Michelle Myers for the Owens Community
  College Learning Center

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anx i ety What Is It?

• Pronunciation a?-zi-?-te\
• 1 a painful or apprehensive uneasiness of mind
  usually over an impending or anticipated ill
  b fearful concern or interest c a cause of
  anxiety2 an abnormal and overwhelming sense of
  apprehension and fear often marked by
  physiological signs (as sweating, tension, and
  increased pulse), by doubt concerning the reality
  and nature of the threat, and by self-doubt about
  one's capacity to cope with it

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During exams, do you..

• Feel like you go blank?
• Become frustrated?
• Find yourself thinking I cant do this or Im
  stupid?
• Feel like the room is closing in on you?
• Feel your heart racing?
• Suddenly know the answer after youve turned
  the test in?

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When performing, do you..

• Become distracted?
• Feel overwhelmed?
• Miss important cues from your surroundings?
• Forget what you are supposed to do?
• Have distracting thoughts of failure or a poor
  performance?
• Perform more poorly than in practice?

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If you answer yes to some of these questions,
you may be experiencing test or performance
anxiety!
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• Well, were here to help YOU!

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RELAX!

• It is normal to feel some level of anxiety or
  stress regarding an exam, paper, or presentation!
• Start work even in small amounts and a feeling of
  control will come from your activity.
• Procrastination breeds anxiety and worry!

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Butterflies are okay
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..just make sure theyre under control and flying
in formation -the direction you want.
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• Preparation for your first test should begin
  after the first day of class this includes-
  studying- completing homework assignments and -
  reviewing study materials on a regular basis

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Be prepared for the test

• Budget
• your
• time(like your money)

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• Go to review, pay attention to hints that the
  instructor may give about the test. Take careful
  notes and ask questions about items you may be
  confused about.

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• Always arrive before an exam begins
• Be prepared with supplies

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• Make sure you go to the class right before the
  test it's another prime time for the instructor
  to give out more hints or the format of the test.
  
• Go over any material from practice tests, HW's,
  sample problems, review material, the textbook,
  class notes...

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After doing all of these things, remember..
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Relaxation Exercises
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Regular Exercise Activity
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• Eat before a test having food in your stomach
  will give you energy and help you focus, but
  avoid heavy foods which can make you groggy.

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Foods to Avoid

• Caffeine
• Sugar
• Luncheon Meats
• Hard Cheeses
• Whole Milk
• Fried Foods
• Creamed Soups

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Foods for Brain Power!

• Fish
• Skinless Chicken
• Veal
• Lean Beef
• Lowfat Yogurt
• Lowfat Cottage Cheese
• Tofu
• Lentils, Dried Peas, Beans

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Foods for Concentration!

• Popcorn
• Potatoes
• Crackers
• Bread
• Cereals
• Rice
• Muffins
• Bagels
• Pasta
• Pancakes

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• Don't try to pull an all night-er, get at least 3
  hours of sleep before the test.

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Amount of sleep each night?

• Studies have shown that sleep deprivation
  negatively affects short-term memory, as well as
  physical and emotional health.

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• Go to the bathroom before walking into the exam
  room, you don't want to waste anytime worrying
  about your bodily needs during the test.

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• Set your alarm and have a backup alarm set as
  well.

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• Do not listen to your classmates talking about
  what will be on the test

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• Read and listen to the instructions

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• In order to regain control over anxiety, one
  should break the exam content into smaller
  sections. It will seem much easier to master a
  series of small subjects than to tackle a huge
  subject all at once. 

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Negative Self-Statements Positive Reversals

• I cant do it!
• I feel overwhelmed!
• Its too difficult for me.
• Im stupid.
• Everyone else knows how to do this but me.
• Im not really smart.
• Im too nervous to concentrate.
• Ill flunk, so why try?
• I hate tests.
• Who cares about this test, anyway?

• I know I can do it.
• I can do this one step at a time.
• I have the aptitude to learn this.
• I have good abilities.
• I am learning how to do this.
• I know I am capable.
• I am remaining calm and relaxed even under
  pressure.
• I am learning more each day success is bound to
  follow.
• Tests are becoming easier for me.
• This test is a positive challenge for me to show
  what Ive learned.

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Timed Tests?

• When you take a test that is timed, making sure
  you don't run out of time is critical. A test
  taker that poorly paces himself will generally
  end up missing more questions by running out of
  time than by not knowing the correct answer.

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Timed Preparation

• Practice using similar conditions.
• Use the same amount of allotted time that will be
  allowed on the real test.
• Get comfortable pacing yourself using a watch or
  a clock.

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More on Timed Tests..

• Know in advance how many seconds or minutes you
  can spend per question and every few questions
  check yourself against the clock to see how
  you're doing.
• If you're falling behind, then you'll need to
  speed up- even if it means guessing before you've
  had enough time to fully consider every angle of
  the question. If you're racing ahead, take the
  time to slow down and make sure you're getting
  each question right.

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Multiple Section Tests

• Tests with multiple sections, each with a
  different number of questions and different
  amount of allocated time offer an even more
  difficult challenge.

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More on Multiple Section Tests

• If you take too much time on a single question,
  you may not have enough questions on which to
  "make up the time."
• Tests with fewer sections and lots of questions
  in each section give a test taker a chance to
  spend more time on one or two questions and then
  as long as they can breeze through the remainder,
  they should still have enough time to finish all
  the questions.

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Essay Exam Tips

• Be creative in your thinking
• Organize informationeffectively (before starting
  your essay)
• Express it clearly!
• Instructor is able to learnabout your
  thinkingbehind your answer.

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Its time for a self-observation!Please answer
the following questions

• What were you just thinking about right now?
• What are the thoughts that were in the back of
  your mind while you were listening to the class
  session just now?

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self-observation continued..

• If you were tuning out or having difficulty
  attending, was it because the material wastoo
  easy ___too difficult ___not interesting
  ___too condensed ___other ___?

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self-observation continued..

• If you were thinking about what was being taught,
  were you- repeating the material to yourself
  (orally or in writing) ___- paraphrasing the
  material in your own words ___- characterizing
  the material in some way (e.g., labeling it,
  looking for an example, etc.)___- relating this
  material to some other material ___?

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Case Studies Lets practice!
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1

• Liz enjoys tests that utilize her strong writing
  abilities she strongly dislikes true-false and
  multiple choice questions because she does not
  have the freedom to answer them from her point of
  view. She frequently doesnt understand what the
  question is asking, so she interprets it in her
  own way. Even after she sees the correct answer,
  she feels the need to debate it and explain how
  she understood the question. To reduce her
  frustration, she writes clarifying statements or
  comments next to many of the questions. She
  doesnt understand why her instructor doesnt
  take her comments into account in grading her
  test. Discuss the strategies that you could
  teach Liz so she would be more successful with
  these two types of objective test questions.

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2

• Jane thinks she studies effectively. She always
  feels like she knows all the information that she
  needs to know. It usually doesnt take her long
  to finish a test, either. She goes through all
  the questions, just the way they are presented,
  and writes what she really believes is the right
  answer. She usually leaves feeling like she has
  done well. Then the surprise! She always seems
  to make a lot of careless mistakes. She doesnt
  understand how she can miss questions on the
  tests when she knows the answers. What
  strategies could Jane use during the test to have
  better test results?

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3

• The computer lab used for social science tests is
  an interesting place to observe human behavior.
  Students talk to their computers, wince at their
  answers, grumble at the results, and show many
  signs of frustration. Tessa typically is nervous
  about tests, but taking tests on the computer is
  a tremendous challenge. She procrastinates going
  in for the tests and can barely control her
  emotions when she signs in to take the tests.
  The testing system that is used randomly selects
  test questions. As soon as the answer is
  entered, the program tells her if the answer is
  correct or not. What strategies could Tessa
  use to reduce her anxiety about taking tests on
  the computer?

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• Jerry has a history of problems taking tests.
  One teacher gave him a verbal test and he was
  able to score well. However, in most cases, he
  has to take written tests and ends up frustrated
  and disappointed. When he takes tests, he reads
  the questions and answers each question the best
  that he can. He moves systematically through the
  test. When he answers the last question, he
  turns his test in. He has had too many
  experiences changing answers and then wishing
  that he hadnt. What test-taking habits does
  Jerry need to change? What strategies would he
  benefit from learning to use?

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Additional Practice websites

• Reading and Writing
• www.act.org/compass
• http//education.yahoo.com (click on SAT sample
  test)
• http//academic.cuesta.edu/acasupp/AS/309.HTM
• http//www.lynchburg.edu/x2416.xml
• http//literacynet.org/cnnsf/superfoods/storyweek.
  html
• http//depts.gallaudet.edu/englishworks/exercises/
  main/index.html
• http//www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/GramPunct.htm
  l

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Additional Practice websites

• Mathematics
• www.act.org/compass
• www.math.com
• www.algebra.com
• www.quickmath.com
• www.mathgoodies.com
• www.aaamath.com
• http//amby.com/tests/math/
• www.testprepreview.com/compass_practice.htm
• www.oaklandcc.edu/MathTest/

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Memory operates through three stages

• Encoding is the first stage ideas are processed
  through your five senses.

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2nd Stage of Memory -

• Storage stage, information is either discarded or
  sorted and then retained briefly in short-term
  memory or transferred into long-term memory,
  where it may become permanent.

OR
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3rd Stage of Memory

• Retrieval allows you to recall stored ideas and
  images.

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Remember to laugh
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Thank you for coming! Now, before you practice..

• Questions?