Nervousness over tests is a common occurrence among students. Extreme worry and stress before and during an exam, on the other hand, can have negative consequences. When anxiety prevents you from taking or performing your best on an exam, leads you to feel nervous all of the time, or becomes extreme, it can be a problem.
Test/Exam anxiety is a set of physical and emotional symptoms that make it difficult for you to perform well on exams. Many students suffer from varied degrees of exam anxiety for a variety of reasons. If you do, take a look at these tips and tools to help you overcome your text anxiety and improve your college exam experience.
Symptoms of Exam Anxiety
Test anxiety can manifest itself in a variety of ways, but the following are some of the symptoms you might encounter:
● Physical Symptoms: Headache, nausea, extreme perspiration, shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, light – headedness, and faintness are all symptoms of a heart attack. Test anxiety can also lead to panic attacks, which are sudden bursts of acute fear or discomfort that make you feel as if you can’t breathe or are having a heart attack.
● Emotional Symptoms: Negative thoughts (rumination over past poor performances, repercussions of failure, feeling inadequate, helpless), mind going blank, and racing thoughts, as well as stress, dread, helplessness, and disappointment.
● Behavioural/Cognitive Symptoms: Concentration problems, negative thinking, comparing oneself to others, and procrastination.
Causes of Exam Anxiety
● Fear of Failure. While the pressure of doing well on an exam might be motivating, if you identify your worth with your test grade, it can be damaging to your self-esteem
● Lack of Preparation. You may feel nervous and overwhelmed if you wait until the last minute or do not study at all.
● Poor Test History. Failure on a previous exam can make a student worried about the upcoming exam. When taking a test, it is critical to remember to stay in the current moment in order to remain focused. Don’t get caught up in the past.
● High Pressure. If you need a certain mark to pass the class, test anxiety may grow.
● Perfectionism. Perfectionism is defined as having unrealistically high performance standards for yourself. According to studies, pupils with high levels of perfectionism and self-criticism have more test anxiety and perform worse on exams. Try to let go of perfectionism if you have it. Make sure to acknowledge when you’ve worked hard and to give yourself permission to make mistakes.
How to Reduce Exam Anxiety
Before exam
● Be prepared.
● Study effectively.
● Engage in self-care
● Create a claiming worksheet
● Talk to your teacher or parents.
Immediately before the Exam
● Get a good night’s sleep (7-9 hours) the night before the exam.
● Eat something to help with focus and attention. Bring water to stay hydrated.
● Avoid too much caffeine.
● Gather all of the materials you need in advance, including a pencil, eraser, or calculator, so that you are not rushing around before the exam
● Play calming or familiar music to help you relax.
● Give yourself a pep talk to reframe your anxiety as excitement. Actually telling yourself you’re excited will help you see the exam more positively and experience more positive emotions.
During the Exam
Calm you Body
● Breathe deeply from your belly.
● Tighten various muscle groups, and then relax them.
● Stand and stretch or shrug shoulders.
● Close your eyes and count to ten.
Calm your Emotion and Thoughts
● Focus only on the present moment to help you stay grounded.
● Replace negative thoughts with positive ones.
● Stay focused on the current task, which is to complete the test, not on how you believe it relates to your self-value.
● Keep realistic expectations.
● Focus on yourself and what you are doing. Ignore other people around you and don’t compare yourself to others.
