Tip of the Iceberg: How to Deal with Test Anxiety
Posted on Wednesday, October 30th, 2019
Most students feel anxious before an exam or a test. If you get so nervous that it interferes with your performance, then you might suffer from test anxiety. You’re not alone! This is a pretty common issue, and fortunately, you can learn strategies to reduce it.
You may have Test Anxiety if you:
- Blank during an exam.
- Have trouble sleeping before a test, or strong feelings of dread.
- Start to panic if other students finish earlier.
- Tend to do much better on homework assignments than on exams.
- Either procrastinate or over-prepare.
- Know the material much better than the test grade indicates or remember the right answers after the exam is over.
- Have difficulty concentrating or organizing your thoughts.
- Get headaches, nausea, excessive sweating, rapid heartbeat, or shortness of breath right before or during an exam.
- Get very worried about what the professor will think of you, or what will happen, if you fail.
Don’t psych yourself out!
- Pay attention to your thoughts.
- Identify those that increase anxiety, such as: ‘I know I’ll fail’; ‘Everyone will think I’m stupid’; ‘I’m going to panic in front of everyone and be so embarrassed’.
- Replace them with more realistic thoughts, such as: ‘I’ll do the best I can’; ‘Doing badly doesn’t reflect on me as a person’; ‘I’ve done well on other tests in the past, I can handle this’.
Before the Exam
- Study well and be prepared. Algonquin has an online Studying & Test Taking guide with great tips, and there are also guides for different study skills like time management and stress management.
- Get into a good sleep schedule, exercise regularly, and eat well.
During the Exam
- Start by reading the directions, then review the entire exam, then review the directions again.
- Organize your time well; jot down approx. how much time to spend on each section. Monitor if you are rushing or getting behind.
- Answer the easiest questions first.
- Visualize yourself getting the exam back with a good grade, or visualize a relaxing scene to help calm down.
- Practice controlled breathing until you feel calmer, for up to 4 minutes: breathe in slowly and deeply for 4 seconds, hold the breath for 2 seconds, then breathe out for 8 seconds.
Need More Support?
- Check out this Test Anxiety booklet.
- Attend the ‘Exam Prep and Test Anxiety – Ace that Test’ workshop.
- Counselling Services can assess your level of text anxiety and coach you on how to manage it.
Good luck!
– Eliza Brown, Counsellor at Algonquin College.
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