Tip of the Iceberg: How to Deal with Test Anxiety

 

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:

  1. Blank during an exam.
  2. Have trouble sleeping before a test, or strong feelings of dread.
  3. Start to panic if other students finish earlier.
  4. Tend to do much better on homework assignments than on exams.
  5. Either procrastinate or over-prepare.
  6. Know the material much better than the test grade indicates or remember the right answers after the exam is over.
  7. Have difficulty concentrating or organizing your thoughts.
  8. Get headaches, nausea, excessive sweating, rapid heartbeat, or shortness of breath right before or during an exam.
  9. Get very worried about what the professor will think of you, or what will happen, if you fail.

Don’t psych yourself out!

 

  1. Pay attention to your thoughts.
  2. 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’.
  3. 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

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?

Good luck!

– Eliza Brown, Counsellor at Algonquin College.




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