Is Academic Testing Truly Valid?
As a 3rd year McGill student, I have had my fair share of academic tests. Doing so, I have encountered the good, the bad and the very ugly. However, the majority of the exams I have taken in my academic career are those of either the bad or the very ugly.
Why is that?
My conclusion for this is that academic testing is simply not valid. Exams are not testing what they are indented to. Instead of being tested on our actual knowledge of a topic, we students are being tested on how well we can actually decipher through complicated wording of questions. As well, we are being tested on how well we can discriminate between which possible answer is the best, when are possibilities are correct! We are not being tested on what we have learned. We are being tested on the mechanics of the test itself.
For me personally, this then creates test anxiety. No matter how much I feel prepared for an exam, I freeze.
During exams, do you…
· Feel like you “go blank”?
· Become frustrated?
· Find yourself thinking, “I can’t do this” or “I’m stupid”?
· Feel like the room is closing in on you?
· Feel your heart racing or find it difficult to breathe?
· Suddenly “know” the answers after turning in the test?
· Score much lower than on homework or papers?
Well then that’s test anxiety, as a result of feeling as though the exam you are about to take is invalid.
If this applies to you — here are some helpful tips that have helped me in the past, from a website I found online (http://www.anxietybc.com/sites/default/files/Test_Anxiety_Booklet.pdf).
Tip #1: COPING STATEMENTS
Try coming up with statements that remind you how you can cope with a situation.
For example:
“If I get anxious, I will try some calm breathing.”
“I just need to do my best.”
“People cannot tell when I’m feeling anxious.”
“This has happened before and I know how to handle it.”
“My anxiety won’t last forever.”
Tip #2: POSITIVE SELF-STATEMENTS
Regularly practice being ‘kind’ to yourself (say positive things about yourself), rather than being overly self-critical.
For example:
Instead of saying “I will fail.”, say something like …
“I know I can do this.”
“Everyone experiences anxiety. I can handle this.”
“I’m not a loser if I have trouble with a test. Lots of students struggle with tests.” “I’m strong enough to do this test. I will do my best.”
Tip #3: ALTERNATIVE BALANCED STATEMENTS BASED ON CHALLENGING NEGATIVE THOUGHTS
Once you’ve looked at the evidence or recognized that you’ve fallen into a thinking trap, come up with a more balanced thought based on facts, not feelings.
For example:
When you are facing a math test, a more balanced thought could be:
“There is a chance that I will not pass the math test tomorrow. But, not passing a math test does not mean I will fail the entire class. Even if I don’t pass the test, it doesn’t mean I will never graduate from high school. I have passed many school assignments and tests before.”
Hope this helps to cope with the invalidity of academic testing!
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