It’s hard to remedy something with effects as wide-ranging as test anxiety. Of course there’s the normal nervousness, but on the other end of the spectrum we’ve got cerebral meltdowns or completely going blank: palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy (try not finishing that verse I dare you) anxiety. No matter where we fall on the spectrum, we all want to do the best we can and drop that test on our Professor’s desk like a mic. We’ve got to go into our exams prepared.
So let’s dive into this…
The goal is to be ready on all fronts—of course mentally and physically, but also emotionally. Especially if you’re one of those people whose mood when they wake up affects the whole day or whose rumbling stomach controls your mindset.
Firstly, you have to study. (I know you’re sitting there rolling your eyes and yelling “duh” into the computer screen) but what I was trying to say (while you were being so rude) is that it’s about HOW you study.
Don’t procrastinate on studying and don’t try to learn anything new the night before. Even though that pressure might make you really crack down and get things done, you won’t be able to retain the same amount of information as you normally would, and you’re going to stress yourself out even more. You’ll go into the test feeling unprepared and that’s the root of test anxiety.
Instead, space out your studying over at least a week. You’ll have enough time to focus on each class without sacrificing attention to others. You‘ll be aware of any confusion you might have with the material, and then have plenty of time to resolve it. You might even have time to relax a bit, do a little yoga or just dance it out.
Think of it this way: if you space out that four hour block of anxiously studying deep into the night, that’s only a handful of moderately caffeinated study sessions, preferably at decent hours of the day and without that whole creepy “I’m going crazy, this is my fourth coffee at 1 a.m.” vibe…
Which brings me to my next point…
Get enough sleep before your exams. It’s not so much beauty sleep as it is intelligence sleep. Plus, besides making you mentally well rested, sleep will lessen your chances of waking up late and having to rush, which amplifies nervousness. You can get ready at your own pace and eat a decent meal (we’ve been preached to about the powers of breakfast since grade school, who are we to deny it now?)
You can also avoid running to the bus stop (only to get that steely look of apathy from the bus driver as he drives away,) pedaling your bike down California like the wicked witch of the west or worse, having to pay for parking or trying to find it on Slack.
You’ll be looking good, feeling good, knowledge pouring out the ears and secrets (of success) in your hair like Gretchen Wieners.
Finally, our next situation is the actual exam, and hopefully if you have followed this advice, you won’t be so stressed about it. You’ll breeze into each room like a Covergirl and take a seat. Maybe you will start to feel some anxiety creeping up on you, because it’s real now and frankly you’re getting to the precipice of “can’t even.” And now that the silly exam is in front of you, you start to stress…
BUT this article plays through in your mind and you realize YOU GOT THIS.
AND YOU DO THE “CLICHÉ” THING.
You breathe, close your eyes, center yourself and relax. You remind yourself you got into college because you’re brilliant (naturally). You write down all those little things you don’t want to forget in the margins. You read the directions carefully. You save the tricky questions for last. You use your time wisely, but don’t waste it worrying how much is left. You don’t project negative thoughts on the outcome.
You do the “cliché” thing whenever need be. You remind yourself that, in the words of the great Leslie Knope, “You’re a phenomenal well of ideas.”