Have you ever had a dream where you have to take a test in a subject you’ve never heard of? If you suffer from test anxiety, those feelings of panic are all too familiar—because you’ve experienced them in real life. Although some level of test anxiety is to be expected (most people get a little nervous about taking tests), having test anxiety that consistently has a negative effect on your performance is something you shouldn’t have to deal with. Here are some tips to help relieve test anxiety.
- Being well-prepared for the test is the best way to reduce test taking anxiety.
- Space out your studying over a few days or weeks and continually review class material. Don’t try to learn everything the night before.
- Try to maintain a positive attitude while preparing for the test and during the test.
- Exercising for a few days before the test will help reduce stress.
- Get a good night’s sleep before the test.
- Show up to class early so you won’t have to worry about being late.
- Chew gum (if allowed) during the test to help relieve test anxiety.
- Stay relaxed, if you begin to get nervous take a few deep breaths slowly to relax yourself and then get back to work.
- Read the directions slowly and carefully.
- If you don’t understand the directions on the test, ask the teacher to explain it to you.
- Skim through the test so that you have a good idea how to pace yourself.
- Write down important formulas, facts, definitions and/or keywords in the margin first so you won’t worry about forgetting them.
- Do the simple questions first to help build up your confidence for the harder questions.
- Don’t worry about how fast other people finish their test; just concentrate on your own test.
- If you don’t know an answer to a question skip it for the time being (come back to it later if you have time), and remember that you don’t have to always get every question right to do well on the test.
- Focus on the question at hand. Don’t let your mind wander on other things.
- If you’re still experiencing extreme test anxiety after following these tips, seek help from your school counselor.
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