Test Anxiety Strategies

.During the test, write out your reasoning, even if you don’t know the exact answer. Get partial credit where you can. If the wording for a question is ambiguous, write down how you interpreted it in order to answer the question.

If you can’t remember a fact during a test, close your eyes and picture where that information is in your notes or in your book. Was it highlighted? Did you doodle something right next to that piece of information? Was it near a graph or table in the textbook? Sometimes picturing the context in which you saw the information can help you recall it.

Coach yourself before and during the test. Say positive messages like: “I know the material and will remember it easily.” Henry Ford said, “If you think you can, you can. If you think you can’t, you can’t. Either way, you are right.” Unleash the power of your mind to keep you focused on what you want to accomplish, and not what you fear if you don’t do well.

It is not all or nothing. One single test will not decide your future. Think of tests as a snapshot of a student’s ability to show what he or she knows on a particular day and time, given competing priorities and other factors that can help or hinder performance. That grade is not a reflection of how “smart” you are, but rather how well you prepared and maintained your focus during the test.

Avoid strictly mental calculations when doing math. This allows your teacher to get a glimpse into your problem-solving process and pinpoint where you may be going off the rails. It can also help to not only avoid simple errors, but to get partial credit when one small error early on throws off your answer.

Stay physically and mentally healthy – rest, eat well and exercise. It sounds simple, but so many students neglect the very things that keep brains functioning at peak performance. You wouldn’t try driving a car with an empty gas tank, would you? (Please don't.) How can you expect to execute the sharp mental turns necessary for a calculus test on 2 hours of sleep and half a Pop-Tart?

Use mnemonics for recalling material. Creating funny memory tricks can help you easily access the material when it comes time to take an exam. Need to recall a list of words for a test? Try creating a suitably ridiculous sentence based on the first letter of each word you need to remember.

Uncover your error patterns. Scrutinize your previous tests. What went wrong? Do you always mix up timelines? Practice writing out key events in order. Were some unexpected questions on material from a handout or PowerPoint? Make sure you track down and review those handouts in addition to the textbook.

Dig through your notes and on your class website. Did your English teacher mention The American Dream every day for a month? Chances are this will feature prominently in the exam; be able to describe it in great detail, with examples from your readings. Justify what you spend time reviewing. “Well, I have this underlined in my notes, so I can tell Ms. Jordan really wants us to know tectonic plates for this test.”

Study in a small group. Don’t be content to “look at notes” to prepare. Active studying requires quizzing yourself — better yet, in a small group of classmates, quiz each other on essential terms, formulae, themes, etc. Even the ability to create questions for your study group peers will show what you know about the important ideas for the test.