Reducing Test Taking Anxiety
Test
anxiety is when a student excessively worries about doing well on a test. This
can become a major hindrance on test performance and cause extreme nervousness
and memory lapses among other symptoms. The following are tips on reducing test
taking anxiety.
·
Being
well prepared for the test is the best way to reduce test taking anxiety.
·
Space
out your studying over a few days or weeks and continually review class
material.
·
Don't
try to learn everything the night before.
·
Try
to maintain a positive attitude while preparing for the test and during the
test.
·
Exercising
for a few days before the test will help reduce stress.
·
Get
a good night's sleep before the test.
·
Show
up to class early so you won't have to worry about being late.
·
Chew
gum (if allowed) during the test to help relieve test anxiety.
·
Stay
relaxed, if you begin to get nervous take a few deep breaths slowly to relax
yourself and then get back to work.
·
Read
the directions slowly and carefully.
·
If
you don't understand the directions on the test, ask the teacher to explain it
to you.
·
Skim
through the test so that you have a good idea how to pace yourself.
·
Write
down important formulas, facts, definitions and/or keywords in the margin first
so you won't worry about forgetting them.
·
Do
the simple questions first to help build up your confidence for the harder
questions.
·
Don't
worry about how fast other people finish their test; just concentrate on your
own test.
·
If
you don't know an answer to a question skip it for the time being (come back to
it later if you have time), and remember that you don't have to always get
every question right to do well on the test.
·
Focus
on the question at hand. Don't let your mind wander on other things.
·
If
you're still experiencing extreme test anxiety after following these tips, seek
help from your school counselor.
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