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How
to Reduce Test Anxiety
Most students
experience some level of anxiety during an exam. However,
when anxiety begins to affect exam performance it has
become a problem. Here are some advices you can take to
reduce, or even eliminate your anxiety during the exam.
What Causes Test Anxiety
o cramming the
night before the exam.
o poor time management.
o failure to organize text information.
o poor study habits.
o past performance
on exams.
o how friends and other students are doing.
o the negative consequences of failure.
Physical Signs of Test Anxiety
During an exam, as in any stressful situations, a student
may experience any of the following bodily changes:
· Perspiration
· Sweaty palms
· Headache
· Upset stomach
· Rapid heart beat
· Tense muscles
Effects of Test Anxiety
· Nervousness:
-
Having difficulty
reading and understanding the questions on the exam
paper.
-
Having difficulty
organizing your thoughts.
-
Having difficulty
retrieving key words and concepts when answering
essay questions.
-
Doing poorly
on an exam even though you know the material.
· Mental
Blocking:
How
to Reduce Test Anxiety
- Study and know the material
well enough so that you can recall it even if you
are under stress.
- Learn and practice good
time management and avoid:
- laziness
- procrastination
- day dreaming
- Build confidence by studying
throughout the semester and avoid cramming the night
before the e exam.
- Learn to concentrate on
the material you are studying by:
- generating questions
from your textbooks and lecture notes.
- focusing on key words,
concepts and examples in your textbooksand lecture
notes.
- making charts and outlines
which organize the information in your notes
and textbooks.
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