Stop the presses! Test anxiety sufferers may have a cure. Some students get hit with the dreaded monster, test anxiety, no matter how well they know the material. On test day, especially finals, anxiety attacks its victims like a virus. While some students skate by unharmed, others are hit with a myriad of symptoms. These could range from clammy palms, cotton mouth, sweating bullets, a pounding heart, to the most dreaded -- blank out. We have a simple solution that could be better than penicillin. Could it be this easy?
Picture this; it’s late morning, a time when most students are generally on their game. You’ve studied for days and know the material well. What’s more, you have gotten a good night’s sleep and eaten a substantial breakfast. All systems appear optimum for the reasonable expectation of a decent grade. There you sit, waiting to kick butt, as the professor reads the instructions aloud, it hits you.
Your mild excitement turns into nervousness as the “what ifs” roll around in your mind, misfiring like marbles in a pinball game. What if I haven’t studied enough? What if I focused on the wrong material? What if I forget the order of the steps involved? By now your nerves are double-timing towards anxiousness.
By the time the test lands face down on your desk, you could be in a full blown anxiety attack. Your hands are clammy, your face is hot, you feel mildly nauseous, and you can hear your heart beat inside your head. You flip the test over to reveal what might as well be pages of hieroglyphics. It’s happening; your head fills with fog. Your memory appears to be wrapped up tightly in some sort of “test anxiety --magic shroud,” and nothing is going to escape that baby.
You’re totally blank. What can you do but sign your name on the paper, turn it in, and flee from the room.
It may help to analyze your situation, so we suggest peeling back the layers to decide what makes you afraid. Is it taking the test? Perhaps you fear what will be on the test. More than likely, you fear the prospect of failing.
Whatever your reason, this reaction is unacceptable for students who intend to graduate. Allow us to present a simple solution, be good to yourself. The simple truth is that it doesn’t matter if you pass each test or not. What matters is that you believe in yourself. After all, you are brave enough to attend college.
It could very well be that all you need is a new perspective on how to view tests. Try this; from this day forward, begin to personally reward yourself in some small way after each test or exam, regardless of how well you feel you’ve done. It won’t take long before you begin associating test days with pleasurable rewards, instead of anxiety and the prospect of failure.
There are some excellent books, courses, and seminars designed to help students alleviate the symptoms of test anxiety. In fact, test anxiety is one of the subjects covered during the very successful, “Student Success Seminars,” held at the Ybor campus.
If you’ve not been able to fit any of these into your schedule, we recommend our crudely simple remedy. If it doesn’t work for your text anxiety, at the very least, you will have taken the time to reward yourself with one of life’s simple pleasures. What could be the harm in that?
Test Anxiety
Published: Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Updated: Monday, October 26, 2009 16:10
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