{"id":344,"date":"2019-06-26T16:02:02","date_gmt":"2019-06-26T20:02:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rivier.edu\/student-life\/?page_id=344"},"modified":"2024-09-20T11:20:56","modified_gmt":"2024-09-20T15:20:56","slug":"test-anxiety","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.rivier.edu\/student-life\/health-and-well-being\/counseling-wellness\/counseling-resources\/test-anxiety\/","title":{"rendered":"Test Anxiety"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Tests are a normal, though often dreaded, part of the college experience. It is common to feel stressed or anxious when preparing for or taking a test.<\/p>\n<p>Most students get nervous during testing, but some students experience test anxiety at a level that is physically distressing and interferes with performance. Test anxiety symptoms can range from minor annoyances, such as forgetting a common formula, to overwhelming and debilitating fears.<\/p>\n<h2>Symptoms of Test Anxiety<\/h2>\n<p>If you experience some of the following symptoms while test-taking, you might be struggling with test anxiety.<\/p>\n<h3>Feelings<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Overwhelming fear or panic<\/li>\n<li>Nervous worrying<\/li>\n<li>Feelings of worthlessness<\/li>\n<li>Pervasive negativism<\/li>\n<li>Feeling of impending doom<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Thoughts<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>I\u2019m so stupid<\/li>\n<li>I\u2019m going to fail<\/li>\n<li>This is hopeless<\/li>\n<li>Why should I even try?<\/li>\n<li>I just can\u2019t do (this subject)<\/li>\n<li>I have to get out of here<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Physical Experiences<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Increased sweating<\/li>\n<li>Pounding heart<\/li>\n<li>Headaches<\/li>\n<li>Shakiness<\/li>\n<li>Upset stomach<\/li>\n<li>Muscle tightness<\/li>\n<li>Insomnia<\/li>\n<li>Fatigue<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Cognitive\/Behavior Patterns<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Mind goes blank or freezes up<\/li>\n<li>Distractibility; poor concentration<\/li>\n<li>Increased errors<\/li>\n<li>Racing thoughts<\/li>\n<li>Overthinking concepts &amp; questions<\/li>\n<li>Second-guessing\/changing answers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What to Do if You Think You Have Test Anxiety<\/h2>\n<p>The sources of test anxiety are poor test preparation, ineffective test-taking strategies, psychological pressures, and poor health habits. Consider the extent to which each of these applies to you, and attempt to make the following changes.<\/p>\n<h3>Focus on Test Preparation<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><span>Clarify test formats and contents <\/span><span>with your instructors<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Know what your instructor expects<\/li>\n<li><span>Ask questions<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span>Review past assignments, quizzes, <\/span><span>and textbook sample problems<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span>Create a study guide and practice <\/span><span>tests on exam topics<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Collaborate with other students<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t cram; prioritize study time<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Relieve Psychological Pressures<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Arrive at the exam early and take time to relax before the test<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t discuss the exam with peers<\/li>\n<li>Keep your test goals reasonable<\/li>\n<li><span>Practice affirming statements like <\/span><span>\u201cI\u2019m ready for this test; I can do this.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Use a thought-stopping technique to manage distracting thoughts<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t let the test define personal worth<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Use Effective Test-Taking Strategies<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Learn basic test-taking strategies for various test formats (multiple choice vs. essay tests)<\/li>\n<li>Read test directions thoroughly<\/li>\n<li>Do a \u201cmind dump\u201d when you first receive the test: write down any formulas or facts you are afraid you might forget<\/li>\n<li>Take one question at a time; don\u2019t focus on the entire test all at once<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t rush; pace yourself to time limits<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t dwell on questions you can\u2019t answer; mark them, skip them, and return to them later<\/li>\n<li><span>Avoid observing others\u2019 test-taking <\/span><span>behavior; don\u2019t engage in self-comparison<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Practice Health Behaviors<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><span>Plan and manage your study time well, <\/span><span>and get plenty of sleep during the nights <\/span><span>preceding your exams<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span>Eat a healthy meal before each exam<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span>Practice deep breathing techniques <\/span><span>regularly so you can access these <\/span><span>skills at exam time<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span>Avoid excessive use of caffeine, <\/span><span>including energy drinks<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span>Exercise regularly<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span>Take mental breaks and have some fun\u2014t<\/span><span>his will actually improve your academic <\/span><span>performance!<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tests are a normal, though often dreaded, part of the college experience. It is common to feel stressed or anxious when preparing for or taking a test. Most students get [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":333,"menu_order":3,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-344","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Test Anxiety | Counseling &amp; Wellness Resources | 做厙勛圖<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Don\u2019t let test anxiety interfere with your success at Rivier. 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