Some students feel mainly physical distress symptoms, such as headaches, nausea, faintness, feeling too hot or cold, etc. Others express more emotion, wanting to cry or laugh too much, or feelings angry or helpless. The major problem of test anxiety is usually its effect on your thinking ability; it can cause you to blank out or have racing thoughts that are difficult to control. Although many, if not the vast majority, of students feel some level of anxiety when taking exams, most can cope with that anxiety and bring it down to a manageable level.
- Be well prepared for the test.
- Include as much self-testing in your review as possible.
- Maintain a healthy lifestyle-get enough sleep, good nutrition, exercise, some personal down time, and a reasonable amount of social interaction.
- As you anticipate the exam, think positively, i.e., "I can do OK on this exam". "I have studied and I do know my stuff".
- Do some serious "thought stopping" if you find that you are mentally comparing yourself to your peers or thinking about what your parents, partner, children, or other significant others may say about your performance on this exam.
- Before you go to bed on the night before the exam, make sure to collect together anything that you will need for the exam—pen, pencil, ruler, eraser, calculator, etc. Double check the time of the exam and the location.
- Set the alarm clock and then get a good night's sleep before the exam.
- Get to the exam in plenty of time.
- Don't talk to friends about the exam material just before going into the exam.
- Sit in a location in the exam room where you will be distracted as little as possible.
- As the test is being handed out, close your eyes and take some deep breathes.
- Make sure to read all instructions carefully.
- Focus only on the exam, not on what other students are doing.
- If you feel very anxious or even panicky in the test, take a few minutes time out and clam yourself down. Stretch your arms and legs and then relax them again. Take a few slow deep breaths. Do some positive internal self-talk. "I will be ok, I can do this".
- If the exam is more difficult than you anticipated, try to focus and just do your best. It might be enough to get you through, even with a reasonable grade!
- When the exam is over, treat yourself.
You can take control of test anxiety so that your performance on a test reflects your real standing in that course. If test anxiety seems to persist, however, talk to a counselor and share your concerns.
Counseling services for test anxiety are both (free and confidential) and available at Counseling Services. Call Kim Soban, Director of Counseling at 841-9121 to set up an appointment.
* excerpted from SDC's (2000) Learning skills Services: The University of Western Ontario, London, Canada, N6A 3K7. http://www.sdc.uwo.ca/learning/mcanx.html
