Are you getting ready for your exam? Here are some helpful tips to make sure you are ready!
Ways to Deal with Test-Taking Anxiety:
- Develop healthy habits: Making sure you are getting plenty of sleep and choosing to fuel up with foods and beverages that aren’t too sugary, too caffeinated, or too fatty/greasy helps to regulate your body’s hormones, especially cortisol, which contribute to stress and anxiety.
- Improve your studying skills: Learning how to better study will boost your confidence in grasping the materials, which will in turn help to reduce the chances of you “blanking out” during a test.
- Form a support system with teachers and student peers: Building a small community who are all involved in studying the course materials will help you feel more grounded, while also helping to build more confidence. Forming good communication with teachers and peers means that you will have plenty of opportunities to get help when you’re stuck on a concept, or words of encouragement to help ease your anxieties.
- Develop relaxation routines: Creating your own self-soothing techniques is a great way to help regulate the heightened emotions that come from anxiety. Pairing breathing exercises with positive affirmations you can say/think to yourself will center you, taking you back to a calmer baseline. If you practice this routine enough outside of the test-taking environment, then it will become second nature for you to use when you’re experiencing test-taking anxiety in real time.
- Make a checklist for test days: “Did I eat breakfast? Do I have all my materials? What’s my affirmation? What is my relaxation technique?” etc. Having a mental or physical checklist will help you in feeling more prepared for your exam.
- Have a hype-up mantra: Ever seen The Wolf of Wallstreet? There’s a very famous scene where Matthew McConaughey hums and beats his chest rhythmically as a way to hype himself up. Well, adopting your own hype “thing”, whether it’s a song, a dance, or an affirming quote you say out loud to yourself, will positively rile you up to tackle the beast of the exam.
- Address any learning disabilities or dysfunctional symptoms: Do not neglect your underlying conditions and mental health! Studying new material can definitely underscore any existing issues, so make sure to regularly check in with yourself as to whether or not enlisting the help of a professional is necessary.
