Think
positively to control test anxiety for finals
By Ramón Torres
On-line Forty-Niner
Finals
week is already here which means the necessity
to come up with helpful strategies to cope
with studying during this week.
One
of the ways to cope with studying during
finals week is by managing test anxiety,
said Carol Barr, learning strategist at
the Learning Assistance Center at Cal State
Long Beach.
“You
can take control of test anxiety so that
your performance on a test reflects your
real standing in that course,” Barr said.
“If test anxiety seems to persist, however,
talk to a counselor and share your concerns
and get some specialized help.”
Barr said, some students feel mainly physical
distress symptoms, such as headaches, nausea,
faintness, and feeling too hot or too cold.
Others express more emotion, wanting to
cry, laugh too much, feeling angry or helpless.
The major problem of test anxiety is usually
its effect on thinking ability; it can cause
you to blank out or have racing thoughts
that are difficult to control.
Although
many, if not the vast majority, of students
feel some level of anxiety when writing
exams, most can cope with that anxiety and
bring it down to a manageable level.
Graphic
design major Sarah De Cair said she had
found her own ways to go through this finals
week.
“Although
I schedule regular daily study time I really
need to take caffeine pills while I’m preparing
for exams during finals,” De Cair said.
“And something that I can’t avoid is to
complain and whine while I’m pigging out
on chocolate through out the whole process.”
Barr
said there are some strategies to control
test anxiety:
•
As you anticipate the exam, think positively,
i.e., “I can do OK on this exam.” “I have
studied and I do know my stuff.”
•
Before going to bed the night before the
exam, make sure to collect together anything
that you will need for the exam — pen, pencil,
ruler, eraser, calculator, etc.
•
Get to the exam in plenty of time and don’t
talk to friends about the exam material
just before going into the exam.
•
As the papers are distributed, calm yourself
down by closing your eyes and taking some
slow deep breaths.
•
As you work on the exam, focus only on the
exam, not on what other students are doing
and if you feel very anxious or even panicky
in the test, take a few minutes time out
and calm yourself down.
•
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 take your time and get back into the
questions.
•
If the exam is more difficult than you anticipated,
try to focus and just do your best at that
point. It might be enough to get you through,
even with a reasonable grade!
Psychology
major Ralph Hernandez said this time of
the semester gets very difficult for him
to keep up with studying.
“Besides
re-reading the notes that took from class
I use flash cards,” Hernandez said. “And
what always works for me is the study groups,
that is the best for finals”.
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