Ten Tips for Test Anxiety

This is an article from the Princeton Review that I modified to include relevant, effective strategies. You can view the original here.

1. Be prepared.

If you think you're prepared already, consider super-preparing. I highly recommend practicing so much that you know the material inside and out. 

• Do extra practice problems in connect, 
• or the applications in the back of the book, 
• check out the page for your class on this site for extra problems.
• Re-do the problems from class, cover your answers 
• Download Quizlet or Anki, or paper flashcards
• Form a study group, or of course, come to SI to solidify the material

If you over-prepare, you will walk into the test with confidence. If you have the attitude of 'I know all this, so let me get this test over with' it is drastically different than 'I don't know anything for this test!!' or even 'I have a pretty good understanding of most things, but I'm worried about a couple concepts.' The second statement may appear to translate, grade-wise, into a  B or even a low A, but test anxiety tricks you into thinking you don't know anything. 

If you totally understand the material, like, completely, your confidence will kill the stress. I promise.  Know the material so well that you could teach it to others, spend the reccomended 8-12 hours. The anxiety will evaporate. This is my #1 piece of advice for test anxiety, and not coincidentally, the first one listed in this article. 

2. Get a good night’s sleep.

We all know that we need 7-8+ hours of sleep, right? Go to bed. Being tired=stress. 

Create a study plan before hand so you won't be tempted to stay up late the night before. 

3. Fuel up.

Eat a good breakfast. Again, come on, you know this. Even if it's just a granola bar, that's better than nothing. Being hungry=stress. Ideally, a protein + fiber combo (peanut butter toast, whole grain cereal, an eggs, bacon, and fruit...the possibilities are endless.) Watch out for high sugar foods, which will cause you to crash (get tired suddenly). 

4. Get to class—or the testing site—early.

Give yourself plenty of time to get to class. That way, you can spend some time to look over your notes just to confirm again that, yes, you know things. Plus, being late is great way to get yourself freaked out. Being late = stress. 

5. Have a positive mental attitude.  

Mindset is everything. If you over-prepared, that will come naturally. But it also helps to correct the negative thoughts that find their way into your head. When your brain says "I'm not gonna know anything for this test!" You have to respond, "No, I studied hard and I will do great." If you exist in constant negative energy, you will attract negative energy. 

6. Use Test-Taking Strategies. 

There are numerous techniques for taking tests. Here are a few of my favorites.  

• Underline, circle the important information.  
• Find out what the question is asking
•  Make sure your answer is realistic
• And of course, check your answers again when you're done! Some answers you can even plug back in to check them.  

7. Just start.   

Find an easy question that you know for sure, and it will get your confidence up. If you can't find an easy question, please refer back to #1. 

8. Don’t pay attention to what other people are doing.

Why is everyone else turning the first page already? Do they know something I don't?? No! They probably don't know something you do. Who cares! Being fast does not mean knowing more. Often, people who consistently take the entire class time get the highest grades.  

9. Manage your Time.

Realizing that time is almost up and there are lots of test questions left can make it hard to do anything useful in those final minutes. Stay on track by scoping out the whole test before getting started. Mentally allocate how much time you’ll spend on each section. If there’s time to recheck, even better.

10. Breathe.

Think to yourself, 'just breathe.' This physically calms your mind. Remind yourself that it's ok to be stressed, don't focus so much on trying to get rid of the stress. "I feel stressed, but that's ok, I'm going to keep going." 

I count breaths: 7 second inhale, 7 second exhale. Alternately, 4 second inhale, 7 second hold, 8 second exhale. These take practice, but they do quiet a sporadic mind.