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Where does test anxiety come from?
The physical symptoms of test anxiety—the racing heart, tense muscles, queasy stomach etc., come from a stress hormone called adrenaline which the body produces when it’s in a scary situation and wants o-u-t! The more important a test, the more severe a reaction can be. There are a lot of opinions about why students become anxious before tests. Some experts believe it may be a learned behavior resulting from a prior bad test experience. Others think it affects students who are inclined toward perfectionism and have a fear of failure. The fact is, test anxiety is quite common – it just affects students to a greater or lesser degree. According to the American Test Anxiety Association (yes, there really is such an organization: www.amtaa.org) test anxiety impacts up to 20% of students and the problem is growing. If it begins to interfere with your performance on tests, it’s time to tame the test anxiety beast!
Time to tame the test anxiety beast!
Controlling anticipatory test anxiety Make a plan. Do you feel anxious days before a test? Do butterflies in your stomach flutter their wings when you think about an upcoming test? That’s called anticipatory test anxiety , and experts say that our old nemesis procrastination is often at the root of it. For some students, the very thought of a test makes them so uncomfortable that they ignore it and “stick their head in the sand.” Later they have to cram to prepare, which adds to the stress. To quell anticipatory anxiety, take control. Wage all out war against procrastination. Face test preparation head on. Create a good study plan, organize a study schedule, and stick to it. Planning, routine, and preparation go a long way toward controlling anticipatory test anxiety. Use your study skills. Build your test-taking confidence by using the study skills you’ve learned in this course, including time-spaced learning, anticipating test questions, and self-testing. Good study skills have made you a faster, more efficient and effective learner. You should be confident in your ability to adequately prepare for any test. PRODUCT PREVIEW Visualize success. Thinking positively about the outcome of the test helps control anticipatory anxiety. Don’t let your mind wander to the dark side, seeing yourself failing the test and imagining all sorts of horrible consequences. Replace negative thoughts or visions of failure with positive ones of you confidently taking the test and achieving a good outcome.
THE 21st CENTURY STUDENT’S GUIDE TO STUDY SKILLS 209
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