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Handling Test Anxiety
- By Jack williams
- Published Tuesday 30th 2008
- Education
- Unrated
While most students are nervous before an exam, a few of them develop exam-related anxiety.
For such people the first step is to recognize the symptoms of stress and anxiety. Stress is often strong enough to lead to increased heart rate, shortness of breath, trembling hands, shaking legs, nausea, sweating, etc. Test anxiety leads to a series of negative results including poor concentration, confusion, negative attitudes or moods, fear, and even panic.
Often a person develops poor coping strategies such as negative self talk. A common psychological defense against these negative feelings and thoughts is giving up and becoming helpless or paralyzed during a test. The ability to perform well under pressure, however, is a skill that can learn be learned. Several strategies for overcoming test anxiety are given below:
The major factor responsible in test anxiety is inadequate amount of study. Most test-anxious people simply do not know how to study consistently and effectively. Instead they believe that their poor performance reflects their level of intelligence and tell themselves it is not just within them.
Take a critical look at the way you study. If you find you are not studying effectively, you may want to take a study skills training course. Begin preparing in advance for tests with enough time for quality learning and repetition. Try to go home and revise regularly what was taught in college or school
Often the test situation, the examination room, the large number of candidates, makes candidates nervous or uneasy. This adds to their anxiety and makes it worse.
Thus to ensure that you are not overwhelmed by the examination experience, find out as much as you can about the exam itself. If you constantly remind yourself the date, time, and duration of the exam, you will be better prepared for it.
Another important way of relaxing yourself during the exam is the method of progressive relaxation. It involves tensing a muscle system and then relaxing it. Tensing a muscle will produce increased relaxation. Start at one end of the body and work to the other end. Practice every day for 10 to 15 minutes until you gain the increased ability to relax at will.
To increase relaxation ability, you can also practice breathing techniques. Breathe deeply and slowly, letting your body go limp and allowing every muscle in your body to relax while concentrating on your breathing. Start with your hands. Imagine them to be warm and heavy. Repeat to yourself "my hands are warm and heavy" several times. Maintain a slow, patterned breath rhythm. Progress to the arms, then the shoulders, and continue until you relax your whole body. Do this 5-10 minutes a day.
Another problem mot test-anxious people tend to face is that of negativity. They are plagued by negative thoughts and feeling which distracts them from solving problems or answering test questions. Such people should make an effort to think positively and make the best of situation.
For such people the first step is to recognize the symptoms of stress and anxiety. Stress is often strong enough to lead to increased heart rate, shortness of breath, trembling hands, shaking legs, nausea, sweating, etc. Test anxiety leads to a series of negative results including poor concentration, confusion, negative attitudes or moods, fear, and even panic.
Often a person develops poor coping strategies such as negative self talk. A common psychological defense against these negative feelings and thoughts is giving up and becoming helpless or paralyzed during a test. The ability to perform well under pressure, however, is a skill that can learn be learned. Several strategies for overcoming test anxiety are given below:
The major factor responsible in test anxiety is inadequate amount of study. Most test-anxious people simply do not know how to study consistently and effectively. Instead they believe that their poor performance reflects their level of intelligence and tell themselves it is not just within them.
Take a critical look at the way you study. If you find you are not studying effectively, you may want to take a study skills training course. Begin preparing in advance for tests with enough time for quality learning and repetition. Try to go home and revise regularly what was taught in college or school
Often the test situation, the examination room, the large number of candidates, makes candidates nervous or uneasy. This adds to their anxiety and makes it worse.
Thus to ensure that you are not overwhelmed by the examination experience, find out as much as you can about the exam itself. If you constantly remind yourself the date, time, and duration of the exam, you will be better prepared for it.
Another important way of relaxing yourself during the exam is the method of progressive relaxation. It involves tensing a muscle system and then relaxing it. Tensing a muscle will produce increased relaxation. Start at one end of the body and work to the other end. Practice every day for 10 to 15 minutes until you gain the increased ability to relax at will.
To increase relaxation ability, you can also practice breathing techniques. Breathe deeply and slowly, letting your body go limp and allowing every muscle in your body to relax while concentrating on your breathing. Start with your hands. Imagine them to be warm and heavy. Repeat to yourself "my hands are warm and heavy" several times. Maintain a slow, patterned breath rhythm. Progress to the arms, then the shoulders, and continue until you relax your whole body. Do this 5-10 minutes a day.
Another problem mot test-anxious people tend to face is that of negativity. They are plagued by negative thoughts and feeling which distracts them from solving problems or answering test questions. Such people should make an effort to think positively and make the best of situation.