How to Tackle Test Anxiety

Welp, my winter break will be over next week, as much as it saddens me to say. So, in honor of that, I’ve decided to do yet another college/school related post to help all the students out there. If you’re like me, you struggle with a little bit of test anxiety so below I’m going to leave my personal tips on how you can tackle the little testing butterflies. Enjoy, readers & fellow students!

★Make a study plan.

Be prepared for this test. Know in your mind that you’re doing what you can. Don’t burn yourself out studying but definitely make a plan of attack so you can walk into your test feeling more confident in yourself and your abilities.

★Practice positive self talk.

Encourage yourself. Tell yourself that you are capable. But also remind yourself that your worth is not derived from your performance.

★Get plenty of sleep the night before.

This plays into your mindset going into the test. You will feel worse about yourself if your sluggish and exhausted from studying all night.

★Have a nice breakfast or meal before leaving for school in the morning.

You want your brain ready for this test. Plus, sometimes having something on your stomach can squelch that “pukey” feeling. Coffee on an empty stomach can sometimes make that feeling worse as it’s pretty acidic.

★Visualize Success.

Think about how good it will feel to have the test out of the way and, even better, making a good grade on it.

★Give yourself practice tests.

This will help you get used to the feeling of being tested on these things and will help you study the material itself.

★Separate your fears.

Some fears are ridiculous and sometimes you gotta recognize that. Some are founded and I would recommend talking those fears out with someone close to you or a teacher or even writing them down. But the fear that “everyone will think I’m a moron and a failure” is probably not a very realistic one. It definitely exists in your head sometimes as I know it can exist in mine, but it is vital to label these fears as lies that we agonize over.

★Let go of perfectionism

You’re not going to make all A’s all the time. That’s not realistic. Definitely study in hopes of getting an A, but please don’t put pressure on yourself to be perfect all the time. College is hard and can be even harder if we heap insane expectations upon ourselves.

★During the test, remember to breath and think positively

Take it one question at a time. Select the answers you know are correct first and then go back. If you find yourself spiraling into fear and self doubt, take a moment to take a deep breath and remind yourself of your past successes and that you can do this.

★Don’t obsess over questions

Agonizing over a question can often result in you changing the correct answer (your gut answer) to a wrong one as you second guess yourself. Check your answers but don’t obsess over them.

★Keep it in perspective.

Your life doesn’t hang in the balance here. This is a test. And while you want to do well, sometimes you’ve just gotta do your best and what will be will be. Besides, you’ll probably do worse on the test if you’re feeling rattled. It is in your best interest to keep it all in perspective and have a healthy mindset going into it.

Remember, you can do this!