It might surprise you to know that not all test anxiety is bad. In fact, it is helpful to have a little anxiety because it makes you more alert and focused. However, if you experience too much anxiety it can interfere with your test taking and have a negative impact on your performance. In a situation like this, the resulting grade is not an accurate reflection of your abilities or preparation for the test. Of course, if you did not prepare for the test, test anxiety is a normal reaction but probably isn't the only cause for doing poorly.
There are a lot of different types of symptoms of test anxiety. Not everyone experiences all of the symptoms listed below - but everyone who has test anxiety will have some of them.
- Dizziness
- Headaches
- Dry mouth
- Restlessness
- Muscle tension
- Increased heart rate
- Trembling or shaking
- Hot flashes or chills
- Sweating or cold clammy hands
- Nausea or butterflies in the stomach
- Choking/trouble swallowing/lump in throat
- Shortness of breath or smothering sensations
- Concentration problems/mind going blank/easy distractibility
- Worrying about failure
- Wondering how classmates are doing during the test
- Thinking you are letting others down
- Thinking of things unrelated to the task at hand during a test
- Feeling keyed up and on edge
- Irritability
- Feelings of inadequacy
- Feelings of helplessness
- Self doubt and evaluation concerns
The way you think and the things you tell yourself during an exam play a very important role in test anxiety - both in creating it and decreasing it.
Negative self talk can cause and/or increase test anxiety. It can cause you to evaluate yourself negatively ("Everyone's smarter than me" or "I guess I'm just not college material"), which is anxiety producing and can have a harmful effect on self esteem. Telling yourself things like this is also self defeating because it can cause you to put forth less of an effort on the test. Self talk can also distract you from the task at hand (taking the test) - for example asking yourself "I wonder what grade I need to keep my average" and proceeding to use test time to figure it out.
Positive self talk can be used to control and decrease test anxiety. It can take the form of a more realistic self evaluation, such as "I know I can do well because I've studied hard for this test." Self talk can also be used to direct your focus back to the task at hand if you become distracted during a test, for example "I can figure out my grade average later, now is the time to take the test."
Changing self talk involves several steps. First you must recognize that you are using negative self talk. This recognition should serve as a cue for you to challenge the negative self talk and replace it with positive self talk. Challenging negative self talk involves showing yourself that there is no evidence or proof for that thought, and realizing that it is probably not rational or logical to think that way when you look at the facts. The positive self talk that you replace it with should be realistic and meaningful to you. For example, instead of saying " Oh no, I'll never get a B on this test...," try "I prepared well for this test and it will give me an opportunity to show the professor what I know."
- Get enough sleep that night before; you won't perform at your best if you are fatigued.
- Eat a moderate breakfast (if it is too heavy, it might make you sleepy) and avoid too much caffeine (you don't want caffeine jitters the morning of the test)
- Arrive early so you can get a seat away from the door, the window, peers that irritate you, or other distractions
- Behaving as if you feel calm and confident about the test can often bring anxious feelings into line.
- Use stress relieving techniques when you feel yourself becoming anxious; take slow deep breaths, tense and release muscles throughout your body, stretch, close your eyes and imagine a peaceful calming scene for a minute, etc.
- Replace your negative self talk with positive, task oriented thinking.
- Read directions carefully and follow them.
- Determine which sections offer the most points
- Determine which sections will take longer
- Budget your time wisely; allow more time for questions worth more points
- Answer easy questions first (accumulate sure points)
- Mark harder items to return to later
- Be sure to answer every question; you may be able to get partial credit if you have something down
- If you have time leftover, recheck your answers, proofread essays, and add additional information as needed.
After you have completed the test, it's important to continue using positive self talk to control post test anxiety. For example, instead of telling yourself "I know I missed #3 and #8..." try "It feels good to have that behind me." You should also do something nice for yourself after finishing a test - you deserve it!
