Overcoming Test Anxiety

Every student at some point in his or her collegiate career has been affected by test taking anxiety. This is completely normal and to be expected especially from underclassmen. To an extent, anxiety can actually help you perform better on your test. Sometimes though, anxiety becomes too much to handle thus affecting the performance of a student on the test. This is when test anxiety becomes a problem and must be quickly addressed before a student’s academic career becomes jeopardized.

One of the main reasons for anxiety to become overwhelming is that a student is not prepared sufficiently for an exam. To overcome this, one must learn to develop good study habits and strategies that will allow you to achieve success. Learning how to deal with procrastination, distractions, and overall laziness can be a great start to minimizing anxiety and getting better test results.

On a similar note, keeping your academic materials organized is another great step to take. Having all of your classes bundled into a notebook will not work very well for most students. It is a good idea to invest in multiple notebooks and binders to keep each subject separate and to make sure that you can find notes and class materials on the fly. This will come extremely handy when you want to study and need to review notes; it will be readily available saving you both time and stress.

Another crucial step is learning how to overcome outside pressures. Do not get too caught up in the consequences of failing a class, graduating on time, etc. If you prepare yourself accordingly, study hard, and learn how to manage your time efficiently, success WILL come. There is no need to worry about things that you will already be taking care of by preparing yourself to be a better test taker and by putting forth the work. It is extremely unlikely not to succeed if you have a plan in hand and are willing to work to achieve success. All you have to do is make sure you follow the plan with a good attitude and the rest will all fall into place.

Some other tips to follow to reduce test anxiety:

• Be confident when taking your test. Visualize yourself doing well and take the exam as an opportunity to showcase the hard work you put into it.


• Prepare yourself for success. Study the material and make sure you know your stuff.


• Make a checklist of things you need to bring to the exam and consult with it on exam day to make sure everything you need is available.


• Don’t cram right before the exam.


• Stay relaxed and focused on the task on hand, do not let others around you distract you.


• Get a good night’s sleep the night before the exam.


• Incorporate an exercise routine to your lifestyle. Exercise is said to sharpen the mind.