Understanding Test Anxiety
Test anxiety can be caused by this, which includes the pressure students put on themselves to succeed.
What is setting unrealistic goals and putting too much pressure on oneself?
One common physical symptom of test anxiety is this feeling in the stomach.
What is "butterflies in the stomach"?
One simple strategy for overcoming the physical and emotional impact of test anxiety is to take this action if you begin to feel nervous during a test.
What is "Take a long, deep breath"?
Advanced courses are more likely to include this type of exam.
What are essay exams?
To prepare for multiple-choice tests, this is a good way to review large amounts of material efficiently.
What is reviewing flash cards, summary sheets, mind maps, or the recall column in your lecture notes?
Lack of preparation and falling behind on academic commitments is a common cause of test anxiety. This is the awareness that you are not prepared.
What is "falling behind on assigned reading, homework, or other academic commitments"?
This is a physical symptom that might manifest as an increased heart rate, often associated with anxiety.
What is "an increased heart rate"?
Before a long final exam, stretching your muscles, including your legs, arms, shoulders, and neck, can help reduce the physical effects of test anxiety.
What is "Stretching"?
This action helps you budget your exam time for essay questions.
What is quickly going over the entire exam and noting the easiest questions to answer?
When choosing answers in multiple-choice questions, be careful with these types of words, as they can change the meaning.
What are words such as "not, except, all, and but"?
One source of test anxiety can be the expectations of these people, including parents, a spouse or partner, and friends.
Who are individuals close to you, such as family and friends?
When experiencing this symptom of test anxiety, it can be challenging to remember information and answer questions.
What is "going blank" during the exam?
Paying attention to your mental messages and turning negative thoughts into positive ones is part of this strategy for overcoming test anxiety.
What is "Create positive mental messages"?
When answering essay questions, it's important to actively read the whole question to avoid this common mistake.
What is writing good answers to questions that were not asked or answering only part of the question?
Sometimes, in multiple-choice questions, the first part of the question is an incomplete sentence called this, and the answer choices complete the sentence.
What is the "stem"?
Some test anxiety can stem from this negative past experience, which can be challenging to forget.
What is a negative prior test experience?
This symptom involves unusually deep or rapid breathing as a result of anxiety.
What is "hyperventilation"?
To keep your confidence high and reduce the impact of external pressures, it's important to do this with classmates, partners, and friends.
What is "Discuss strategies for staying positive with others"?
To ensure your essay answer is organized and covers all parts of the question, it's recommended to do this before writing.
What is developing a brief outline of your answer?
When you have absolutely no idea about the answer in a multiple-choice question, this is a good approach to take.
What is looking for an answer that has at least some pieces of information, even if it's a guess?
This is where you should seek help if you find that test anxiety is interfering with your performance.
What is your college's counseling center?
These are some physical symptoms of test anxiety.
What is "shaking, sweating, or muscle cramps"?
What is one important strategy for dealing with test anxiety to ensure you have the best chance of selecting the right answer?
What is reading each question carefully?
When writing essay answers, it's essential to be concise, organized, and avoid providing overly general, unfocused, or disorganized answers.
What is writing concise, organized answers?
If there is a penalty for guessing in a multiple-choice test, this might be a wiser choice.
What is leaving the answer blank instead of choosing an answer at random?