Test Anxiety
A problem many students deal with
As finals are approaching many college students are stressed; however, some students have more serious anxiety about finals than others. Do you ever feel like no matter how much you prepare for a test you will still not do well? When you sit down to take a test, does all the information you learned seem to escape your mind? How about on the day of a big exam, do you begin to feel sick to your stomach? All of these things are signs of test anxiety.
What is Test Anxiety?
The YouTube video “Test Anxiety” by Penn State World Campus really helped me understand my test anxiety. The video defines test anxiety as “anxiety associated with preparing for or actually sitting down and taking a test.” This kind of anxiety can cause cognitive effects like feeling hopeless and physiological effect such as headaches. When students are experiencing these effects it makes them second-guess themselves and have a hard time preparing for tests or taking tests because they physically do not feel well.
Understanding Test Anxiety
Students who are able to understand how their test anxiety affects them are more successful. For me, test anxiety causes me to doubt myself so I over-prepare and have negative thoughts about how I am going to perform. I also get really bad headaches that end up preventing me from doing work. Ken Bain in his “Managing Yourself,” talks about how high stress situations release cortisol into our bodies, and this can prevent us form remember everything we previously learned. Bain says,
“the cure, of course, is to relax, but that’s probably easier to do if you understand what’s happening to you.”
It is important for students to develop a perspective on what test anxiety is and how it impacts them so they can realize the signs. The signs and symptoms can very a lot from person to person. Once students being to see or feel signs of test anxiety they can take action appropriately.
Relaxation
One method that many people use to deal with their stress is relaxation. Relaxation techniques can range from drawing to meditation. Personally, I like to go for a run when I notice that my school- related anxiety is impacting me negatively.
By going on a run I get my mind off the homework I have to do or the exam I have to study for, and I can focus on the positive things in my life . However, running cannot help me when I sit down in a classroom to take a test. If I begin to feel anxious right after starting a test, I take a moment to calm myself down by closing my eyes and breathing. This routine allows me to settle down and have the open mind that is needed to perform well on a test. If I do not calm myself down I often make careless mistakes or forget to include important information. Since I understand what my test anxiety causes me to do and how it makes me feel, I can use specific methods that work for me to lower my anxiety level. Students who know the effects of their anxiety can develop ways to cope with it and relive it.
Your Decision
Ultimately, it is up to students to find ways to deal with their school-related anxiety levels. Some common things that help lower anxiety levels are having a good diet, getting sufficient sleep, blocking out and using time management skills. However, one does not know what will help their anxiety until they understand how their test anxiety impacts their thinking.
References:
Bain, Ken. What the Best College Students Do. Cambridge: Belknap Press of Harvard University,2012. Print.
