Page 238 - Keys to College Success

test time? If you find that in a few days you remember very little, know that this will
work against you in advanced courses and careers that build on this knowledge. Plan
to start studying earlier next time.

HOW CAN YOU
manage test anxiety?

A moderate amount of stress can make you alert, ready to act, and geared up to do
your best. Some students, however, experience incapacitating stress before and during
exams, especially midterms and finals. Test anxiety can cause sweating, nausea, dizziness,
headaches, and fatigue. It can reduce concentration and cause you to go blank when trying
to recall information. Sufferers may get lower grades because their performance does not
reflect what they know or because their fear has affected their ability to prepare effectively.
Two Sources of Test Anxiety

Test anxiety has two different sources, and students may experience one or both: 2
■ Lack of preparation: Not having put in the work to build knowledge of the material
■ Dislike of testing situations: Being nervous about a test because of its very nature
For anxiety that stems from being unprepared, the answer is straightforward: Get
prepared. All of the information in this chapter about creating and implementing a
study plan and schedule is designed to give you the best possible chance of doing well
on the test. If you are able to stay calm when you feel ready for a test, effective prepara-
tion is your key test anxiety strategy.
Unfortunately, being prepared doesn’t necessarily ensure confidence. For students who
dread the event no matter how prepared they are, having a test—any test—causes anxiety.
Because testing is unavoidable, this anxiety is more challenging to manage. Such students
need to shift their mindset and build a positive attitude that says: “I know this material and
I’m ready to show it,” although this is often easier said than done. Personal or situational
factors may also increase the challenge, as Suzanne found out when she worked through
stuttering (a personal factor) and experienced her first time on camera (a situational factor).
Anxiety is defined as an emotional disturbance, meaning that it tends to be based on
an imagined risk rather than an actual one, and often leads you away from your goals
rather than toward them. If you experience test anxiety, analyze your situation to build
3
a more realistic view of your risk and get back on track toward your goal of test success: Test Taking
■ Reconceive the negative risk and costly result you
think you are facing, looking at the risk in a positive
sense with a focus on the potential reward. Down-
play the negative by considering the possibility that
you may be more prepared than you realize, or that
the test is not as important as it seems, or not as
difficult as you believe it to be.
■ Define your goal for this test. Identify the physical
and mental issues affecting your ability to reach
that goal, and see which of them you can attribute
to your anxiety.
■ Build a realistic, positive, and productive attitude
that says “I know this material and I’m ready to
show it.” Key 8.2 provides several ways to do this.
■ Assess your level of anxiety around test-taking sit-
uations. Use the test anxiety assessment on page
204 to determine if you have anxiety that prepara-
tion alone cannot eliminate.

201