Include as much self‐testing in your review as possible.
Maintain a healthy lifestyle: get enough sleep, good
nutrition, exercise, some personal “down” time, and a reasonable
amount of social interaction.
As you anticipate the exam, think positively, e.g., “I can do
OK on this exam.I’ve studied and I know my stuff.”
Engage in “thought stopping” if you find that you are
worrying a lot, comparing yourself to your peers, or thinking
about what others may say about your performance on this exam.
Before you go to bed on the night before the exam, organize
anything that you will need for the exam: pen, pencil, ruler,
eraser, calculator, etc. Double check the time of the exam and
the location.
Set the alarm clock and then get a good night’s sleep before
the exam.
Get to the exam on time – not too late but not too early.
Be cautious about talking to other students about the exam
material just before going into the exam, especially if this will
make you more anxious.
Sit in a location in the exam room where you will be
distracted as little as possible.
As the papers are distributed, calm yourself by taking some
slow deep breaths.
Make sure to carefully read any instructions on the exam.
As you work on the exam, focus only on the exam, not on what
other students are doing or on thinking about past exams or
future goals.
If you feel very anxious in the exam, take a few minutes to
calm yourself. Stretch your arms and legs and then relax them
again. Do this a couple of times. Take a few slow deep breaths.
Do some positive internal self-talk; say to yourself, “I will be
OK, I can do this.” Then direct your focus on the test; associate
questions to their corresponding lecture and/or chapter.
If the exam is more difficult than you anticipated, try to
focus and just do your best. It might be enough to get you
through with a reasonable grade!
When the exam is over, treat yourself. If you don’t have any
other commitments, maybe you can take the night off. If you have
to study for other exams you may have to postpone a larger break,
but a brief break may be the “pick up” that you need.
What does test anxiety feel like?
Some students experience mainly physical symptoms, such as
headaches, nausea, faintness, feeling too hot or too cold, etc.
Others experience more emotional symptoms, such as crying
easily, feeling irritable, or getting frustrated quickly.
A major problem of test anxiety can be its effect on thinking
ability; it can cause a person to blank out or have racing
thoughts that are difficult to control
