40 Tips

IowaHawkeye · #1 04-26-2001, 08:28 PM

Ok, here's 40 Tips for managing Test Anxiety:

Getting Ready for a Test:
1. Use a daily planner
2. organize your time - take control
3. GO TO EVERY CLASS!!!!
4. Read your textbooks : chapter summary and section titles first to get a feel of what they're about.
5. Actively listen and actively read
6. Talk to your professor or TA - utilize office hours
7. Practice. Rework the problems. Tutor a classmate. Retake old exams.
8. Complete readings/homework several days before the exam.

Managing Your Anxiety:
9. Exercise: regular, routine, aerobic
10. Challenge negative thinking; create positive thoughts
11. Take study breaks; your brain can only focus on one subject for 45 minutes before wandering
12. Alternate science, math, history, humanities, ect.
13. Practice deep muscle relaxation
14. Utilize relaxed breathing strategies
15. Break work into MANAGEABLE portions
16. Take a mini mind vacation once in awhile
17. Keep regular and consistant sleep paterns
18. Eat right: limit sugar and caffine
19. Express yourself: share feelings & fears

The 24 Hours Before the Exam:
20. Get a good night's sleep
21. Transition into sleep - its no longer study time, its sleep time!
22. Eat a healthy breakfast
23. Review notes as appropriate
24. Exercise before the exam: relieves stress
25. Go to the exam room early enough to select a seat to maximize your performance
26. DO NOT discuss exam material before the exam: you'll doubt what you studied
27. Employ positive thinking strategies
28. Practice relaxation strategies

Taking the Exam:
29. READ the DIRECTIONS
30. Schedule your time
31. "Dump" material (formulas, definitions)
32. Make a quick outline for essay exam questions
33. Answer first the questions you know well
34. Return to omitted questions later: chances are something will trigger your memory, or you'll find the answer in another question.
35. Try and answer multiple choice questions for looking at the choices
36. But look at all choices before you finalize your choice
37. Look for key words in T/F : always, never
38. Ask for clarification if you need it
39. Get up and move around if you're stressed or tense
40. As soon as the test is over - write down as much as your remember about it - chances are you'll see it on the final.