Test Anxiety

Taking a test can, and often does, produce a stressful situation called "test anxiety." By knowing what "test anxiety" is and familiarizing yourself with some tips to relieve it, you should be able to overcome, or at least reduce, it.

Everyone feels anxious before a test. And believe it or not, a little anxiety isn't all that bad. Studies show that moderate amounts of anxiety levels tend to improve performance. For example, if you are going out for a burger with your best friend, you aren't going to worry about your ability to produce scintillating conversation; and if you were going to have dinner with the president of the college, you might be so nervous, you'd find yourself tongue-tied. But if you were having dinner with a friend's parents or your minister, you'd probably be moderately anxious, yet you would be able to carry on a rather intelligent conversation.

Performance anxiety affects everyone. Yul Brynner, a famous actor, who is best remembered for his performances as the King in The King and I both in the movie and on stage once said that before each live performance, he experienced butterflies in his stomach. And this is from a man who played the role every day for many years! No one is immune from this physical phenomenon.

Test anxiety is a special, intense kind of nervousness that arises from the total test situation. Some excitement for tests is normal and even beneficial. But quite a bit of test anxiety is probably the result of pressure to maintain, or get, good grades. However, if you are well prepared to take a test, you will not have much to fear. Knowing and using good test-taking procedures usually helps to reduce anxiety.

Recognizing the symptoms of test anxiety is the first step in overcoming it. These symptoms are indicative of test anxiety:

• you feel tests are more of a threat than a challenge.
• you have a lot of worrisome or negative thoughts about what might happen if you do poorly.
• you have physical reactions (butterflies, sweaty palms) when you are about to take a test.
• you have trouble keeping your mind on test items or remembering ideas you learned recently.
• you worry about other people scoring higher than you on the test.
• your worries about tests have not decreased as you have matured.

These symptoms produce mental interferences that allow you neither to think clearly nor to concentrate on test items.

All anxiety is acquired in five stages:

1. We are conditioned to become anxious in the presence of certain stimuli.
2. When a situation arises that we recognize as threatening, we respond with our bodies by preparing for flight or escape.
3. Insecure feelings become a factor because we feel the muscle tension, gland secretions, and nerve signals.
4. These body reactions are disagreeable sensations which we want to be rid of.
5. All these reactions create motivation to find relief in safety.
   

Test anxiety can be stopped at any of the five stages.

Causes of Test Anxiety

Most test anxiety is caused by underpreparedness. You put off studying until the last minute, or you are not sure what to study. You may even feel you don't need to study. Whatever the reason, if you are not prepared for a test, you are a prime candidate for test anxiety.

Often schools or teachers will contribute to test anxiety. Core classes or intense programs of study in which grades below a certain level cause dismissal from the program can have disastrous effects on your test performance. Likewise, teachers who use tests as the only means of evaluating your performance cause intense anxiety among those students who are not good test-takers.

Finally, your own negative experiences with tests may cause anxiety. If you have scored poorly on, for example, math tests in the past, you may come to dread them, thus setting yourself up for test anxiety. It is a matter of thinking negatively about yourself in this particular area. In effect, you set yourself up for not performing well; this is often referred to as "self-fulfilling prophecy" where you simply tell yourself a certain thing is bound to happen no matter what you do, and the prediction usually comes true. So, if you have had negative experiences in the past with tests, you may find anxiety levels building as the time for a test gets closer.

Combating Test Anxiety

People who feel nervous about tests act in two ways. They:

1. say negative things (or pose threatening questions) to themselves, and
2. react physically to these anxiety-arousing self-statements.

Studies have shown that if you expect a certain event or outcome to occur, your expectations may help to bring it about.

You can do several things to ease your test anxiety. First of all, you must learn to be aware you are making self-threatening statements. Let your physical and emotional feelings be your guide initially. Secondly, make it a habit to challenge negative self-statements. Dismiss each one with a logical reason. Thirdly, learn how to relax your muscles. Get rid of any residue tension, and try to achieve relaxation.

To achieve complete relaxation, do the following:

• Find a quiet place to be alone; sit in a comfortable chair, so you can be fully supported head to toe.
• Loosen all tight clothing, as well as any tight-fitting jewelry. Refrain from eating, drinking, gum-chewing, etc.
• Contract and relax groups of muscles.

Part of the problem of test anxiety is that you become too sensitive to certain aspects of being tested. Some are physical, and some reside in your imagination. This threatens the ego. "Desensitization" can often be helpful. In this process, an individual is exposed to anxiety-arousing stimuli while continuing to remain in a physically relaxed state. The effect after repeated sessions is that the stimuli cease to arouse anxiety.

Another tool to use centers around how you look at a test. For example, if you think of what you do in a day's time, you will find that many of your actions are small tests--finding your way to a new store in the mall, trying out an interesting recipe you found in a magazine, reading a book about your favorite hobby or personal interest, etc. None of these situations is threatening, so you have little or no problem completing the activity successfully. The more comfortable you are with a situation, the more familiar you are with the ins and outs, the less anxious you are. So, if you can master the material by studying properly (e.g. starting well in advance of the test date, avoiding cramming), then you are in control of the situation, and the chances of you being extremely anxious diminish greatly.

Remember! Anxiety directs thoughts inward to think about discomfort; good test-taking methods direct thoughts outward to think about answering questions correctly.