Managing Exam Anxiety

Exam Anxiety is an issue for everyone that manifests in different ways. This blog talks about some helpful ways for managing this anxiety: https://www.purdueglobal.edu/blog/student-life/reduce-test-anxiety-college-students Links to an external site.. Below are some tips from fellow classmates.

Before the Exam

Take Care of Yourself

A tip for avoiding test anxiety when studying is knowing when to stop. When I am studying for a long time, there comes a point where I am not processing and truly learning the information anymore and it becomes useless and stresses me out. So, I recommend giving yourself brain breaks and go for a walk or take a nap! 

I hate when I take a test and I'm hungry because it is hard to focus on the exam questions for me.

When I was younger I would get severe anxiety before taking any form of test. I learned that ingesting coffee didn't help. Any type of caffeine made it so much worse than it would be otherwise. If you are absolutely exhausted I would switch to tea and it would have a bit of a more calming effect on me. 

Before taking an exam, I make sure to eat something beforehand. When I get nervous, I tend to skip meals but I've found that to be unhelpful. I try not to overstudy because then I start to overthink.

Before I start an exam I always  drink Chamomile tea with orange honey. In elementary school when I had to take the FCAT, my mom would make me breakfast in the mornings and give me a cup of tea. So I've been drinking tea before a big test ever since. Its quite calming.

Combat Impostor Syndrome or other Fears

Most of my academic anxiety comes down to being the first in my family to attend university, and that I pay for my education with scholarships based on my academic performance: I used to spiral into these unfounded fears during which my mind would think even one subpar test grade meant I would fail a class, lose my scholarship, then have to drop out of college, and that I wasn't meant to go to college in the first place. Extreme thinking, I know! So it's helped me to learn about impostor syndrome (Links to an external site.), and understand that I don't need to be perfect in order to reach my goals.

Relax with Music, Games, Meditation, etc

Before an exam, I like to listen to some of my favorite songs. This relaxes me and allows me to clear my mind before taking a test. I also like playing a couple of levels of Candy Crush. These two tricks distract me temporarily before the test to regain focus.

Regular yoga practice has really helped me become mindful, and more accepting of myself. Doing a quick sequence before an exam also helps center me, and gives a quick boost of confidence, but also being sure to practice daily helps reduce anxiety and stress in general. Yoga with Adriene (Links to an external site.) is a great resource if you're interested in starting! 

I would really recommend meditation and/or deep breathing because it helps clear your mind and activates your parasympathetic nervous system, which slows your heart rate when its panic time.

During the Exam

Talk to Yourself

What is especially helpful with taking an exam on ProctorU versus in a classroom setting is that I can also talk out-loud to myself and work through the problems verbally.

During an exam, I remind myself that I studied and I know I can answer the questions correctly. I do whatever questions I am sure of, make sure I do not second-guess myself (which I have a bad habit of doing sometimes), and then go back to see what I can do with questions I am not sure of.

I might create a mantra that I repeat over and over for a few minutes that sounds something like, "I have prepared. I am confident in my abilities. I will be successful." I avoid using the word "exam" or "test" when I am affirming my success to help me fully calm down.

During the exam itself, I have to remind myself to slow down and re-check my work because I often get stressed about time and rush myself and end up making stupid mistakes.

Make Yourself Comfortable

For comfort, I always bring a hair tie, water, and jacket just in case I need them.  Having comfy clothes and putting my hair back sets me into a testing mode. I feel as if I am ready to tackle this test in front of me. That in itself reduces my stress. 

During an exam, if it's allowed I chew gum. I have been using this trick since middle school so now just the smell of mint gum can calm me down immediately. I don't know if that will be helpful to anyone else but sometimes having an external sensation like a strong taste or the feeling of chewing can pull you out of your head and remind you that you are safe and capable of handling whatever is stressing you. (I think there's also something instinctual that you wouldn't be eating if you were in danger so your brain assumes that if you are chewing you can relax, something like that.)

Refer to Mental Notes

I try to remember what my notes looked like for a certain topic. Keywords from the question allow me to remember sections from my notes.

I also find that color coding helps you to remember. I write all of my notes for each module in a different color, and then use the corresponding color to help me write out my work during the test.  It's a brain trick that helps you remember patterns and retain information in a different way. 

Build Confidence

During an exam, I answer all of the questions that I know for certain. Then I go back through and work on the problems that I skipped. This gives me confidence in the questions that I know in order to go back to the ones I skipped over.

I focus on the problems I know I can do first, and then circle back to the problems that are more difficult. This is because depending on how many questions I was able to answer first, the last ones that are more difficult may not affect my grade too much if I get them wrong, which makes them a lot easier to attempt.

I have found that the familiarity of the problem structure has been key to helping me learn and keep my anxiety at bay. I print out as many practice exams as I can find and use half to study and half to practice test on. It has made SUCH a different and has made me a more confident test taker in this course. 

When it comes to the problems themselves if I am struggling with one of the problems I leave it for later then come back. Stressing over one question causes me to dwell and doubt my abilities. 

After the Exam

Reward Yourself

I also make sure I have a favorite snack or a movie all ready to watch after the exam is over to look forward to. 

Forget About Your Exam

One of my biggest tips for managing testing anxiety is to have an activity planned with friends immediately after the exam so I am forced to let go of any stress from the exam and to not obsess over my grade.

Focus on the Big Picture

Things that have helped me manage my test anxiety is always keeping focused on the bigger picture of how the one exam will not affect me as much as I originally thought.

Specifically for this class, I remind myself that if I don't pass a module that it isn't the end of the world and that I will have an opportunity to re-learn and work on a module until I have mastered it.

However, when things don't go as planned or cant seem to stop worrying about something, which inevitably does happen, I like to practice self care, whether that be exercise, yoga, a hot shower, or even just a phone call to one of my friends or family member can help calm me down and realize what is causing my stress mostly likely isn't the "end all be all".

It is important to remember that an exam may seem so important in the moment, but in reality it doesn't matter. This calms me because it allows me to focus on the positive things in life and not get worked up over this one exam.

 

Above all, find out what works for you and stick with it! Even if that means asking for help.

I'm a firm believer in reaching out to loved ones or professionals if you have test anxiety that seems not ever to go away—reminding yourself that test anxiety and overall anxiety does not make you any less of a good student. Reaching out to the CWC Links to an external site. has been the best thing I ever could've done to help with my test anxiety. 

If I’ve done all the studying I can do, if I still feel anxious I’ll grab a sheet of blank paper and write down everything I can think of related to the subject/exam. Sometimes I draw little pictures if it helps me remember stuff better. I can then compare that sheet to my notes or whatever else I’m using to study to figure out what I have a hard time remembering. Then I’ll fold up the paper so it can fit in my pocket, and I’ll put the stuff I need to remember on the back. Just before the exam, I’ve got a little reference sheet of stuff I personally need to focus on as well as everything else the exam will cover. Whether I need to look at it again or not, just having that little bit of paper in my pocket helps me feel more confident and like I know my stuff. It’s kind of like a gratitude list but for school.