Test Anxiety Study Smarter Not Harder Symptoms Butterflies

Test Anxiety Study Smarter! Not Harder!

Symptoms • • “Butterflies” Sweating, shaking Fidgeting…Trouble concentrating “Blanking Out” (Can’t think clearly) Overanalyze Questions Emotional Trouble sleeping the night before Mind is racing

Causes • Fear of Failure • Lack of Preparation • Poor Test History

Results of Test Anxiety • • • Poor Performance Guessing Low Self-Esteem Distress Not Finishing

Taming Test Anxiety • • • Preparation Changing Your Attitude Relax During the Test After the Test

Preparation • • DON’T CRAM! Learn from experience Use these Study Skills! The Basics Get a good night sleep Eat a good breakfast Exercise

Preparation • Have a Positive Attitude • Positive Self-Talk – “I failed the course last semester, but I can now use my study/ math skills to pass this course. ” – “I know that with hard work, I will pass math. ” – “I feel good about my self and my abilities. I am not going to worry about that difficult problem. I'm going to use all my test time and check for careless errors. Even if I don't get the grade I want on this test, it is not the end of the world. ” • Stop the Negative Self-Talk! – Silently shout to yourself STOP! – Replace with a positive statement

Change Your Attitude Scenario: You have a science test next week. You have completed all the homework and have taken great notes. However, you still feel overwhelmed with all the material you have to study. What do you say to yourself? Scenario: You just received a D on a History test that you believed you studied hard for. You look over your answers and see you made some careless errors and many questions that were on the test were also on your incomplete homework assignments and unanswered learning targets. What do you say to yourself?

Relax • Youtube video

During The Test Stay Focused Answer Questions You Know First Outline Essays Before You Write Read Questions Carefully Skim through to see how to pace yourself Write down important facts, formulas, etc. so you don’t worry about forgetting them • Be comfortable • • •

After The Test • Celebrate! Think back on your accomplishments and the strategies you used. • Relax • Shift your focus to the next task • Keep up the momentum

Final Thoughts • Your going to have take tests all your life • Don’t let anxiety become a habit • You don’t have to get every question right to do well on a test • Expect some anxiety. —Keep it manageable • YOUR IN CONTROL!