Does your mind freeze up every time you enter an exam room? Do you find it difficult to breathe during a test and your heart pounds fast? If this is you, you are suffering from exam anxiety. Professional writers at Essaykitchen.net are in the opinion of exam or test anxiety is the feelings of fear and panic before that occurs when sitting for an assessment. It affects a high number of students a little or in high levels depending on the student. So, if you are suffering from exam anxiety, here are test anxiety tips to help you stay calm.
Say no to insufficient sleep
As the exam date draws closer, you may plan to do some last minute studying and cramming the night before the test. It may be okay, to read at night, but keeping awake all night spells trouble for you. Keeping awake the whole night increases your stress levels and worsens your nerves causing severe test anxiety.
Experts observe that sufficient sleep results in excellent academic performance. It helps you function at an optimum level while ensuring your mind is lucid and fresh. Therefore, ensure you enjoy nine to ten hours of sleep each night, and you will reap the benefits.
Prepare well
The tip may seem obvious, but it is of great importance if you are looking to pass a test; thus, the emphasis. Feeling ready for a test makes you comfortable and confident while seating in an exam room. Some of the test anxiety strategies include going through all the study materials more than one time several days or even weeks before the test. Avoid running the last minute or cramming as this only increases the anxiety test.
Find out the type of questions you are prone to find in the test and go through them, to ensure that the test does not surprise you. Also, make use of tutors, group discussions, and books that guide on studying to guarantee that you are ready.
Be keen on the instructions
Reading and more reading of instructions in an exam is one of the ways of determining how to get rid of test anxiety. There is nothing more stressing, and that invites worry quicker than finding out that you have answered a question opposite of the expectation. Always begin your test by reading the instructions several times and pondering on them to ascertain that you understand them. There is no need of being in a hurry only to find out in the end that you have gone off target.
Eat nourishing food
A healthy meal is necessary to nurture your body and give you the required energy for an assessment. While eating is essential, ensure you only indulge in nutritious meals made up of proteins and non-sugary carbohydrates for energy. Experts advise you to skip junk foods, soft drinks, and foods high in sugar as they cause you to crash during the test leading to test-taking anxiety.
Avoid distractions and concentrate on yourself
Another tip to help in overcoming test anxiety is avoiding distractions. In an exam room, there are different types of test takers. If you find yourself sitting next to an individual who is scribbling non-stop, do not worry as it does not matter. The pace and the way you answer the test questions is all that matters. Therefore, concentrate on yourself.
You may feel discouraged that another student is writing too fast, but who knows they may be writing the professor’s name over and over again!
Be early
There is nothing that makes you more anxious the day of an assessment as the fear of arriving late to the exam room. Lateness makes you feel panicked and takes away time you would otherwise spend relaxing and getting ready. Essay writing service believes that reduce test anxiety that occasion due to unpunctuality by ensuring you arrive at the examination room about ten or more minutes before the start of the examination.
If your parent is driving you to school, have them set the alarm to ensure you are early enough.
Be positive
Get into the exam room with the belief and expectation that you will pass the assessment. A positive attitude goes a long way in relaxing and giving you morale to tackle the exam. Tell yourself that, “I can pass this exam” or “I trust myself,” and let these positive mantras guide you all through to the end.
Start your test
Another tip on how to deal with test anxiety is starting the test. Seeing the answer sheet blank for a long time as time passes by is probable to heighten your tension. Nonetheless, once you are satisfied that you have understood the instruction, begin the test right away.
Academic writers advise you to begin with the simple questions. Such questions help to build your confidence and set the time you are going to spend on all the other tasks. If you are writing an essay, begin by drafting an outline, which will direct you up to the end, making it more manageable.
Adopt relaxing techniques and control your thoughts
Dealing with test anxiety requires you to be relaxed. Professionals advise you to begin by taking deep breaths in an over and over again, to slow down your heartbeat and your mind. Also, if you do not want to suffer as a result of test anxiety, avoid negative thoughts about yourself.
Watch out for negative thoughts that creep into your mind. Such feelings may include “I must be stupid,” “I did not study enough,” “everything is on the line” or “I will fail.” Instead, only tell yourself positive things that encourages and raises your self-esteem, such as “I am ready” and “I am going to ace this test.”
Always look at the time
Finding out that the time is about to lapse before you complete all the test questions can make you anxious and unable to proceed. It is, therefore, crucial for you to maintain a fast pace when writing the test to ensure something like this does not happen. Before starting the exam, go through the whole paper, assess all the questions, and group them. On the one hand, should be easy questions which you can complete fast within a short period.
On the other hand, it is the difficult questions that need more time. If you have to write an essay for the test, you have to time it as well. Since you cannot have essay writing service writing the paper for you, writers recommends that you ensure that it is complete within one hour or less.
Conclusion
Some form of anxiety when waiting for a test is healthy, so you should expect it. However, if fear overwhelms students and interferes with an exam by making it difficult to write it, then one needs to adopt strategies to make it easier. If you need a confidence boost, observe these tips prepared by EssayKitchen, and you will be ready to go during the next test.