Dear Dr. Greg -- Text Anxiety

Dear Dr. Greg,

Finals are coming up, and I don’t know what to do. Sometimes I get so nervous I have trouble studying for my tests. Then, I when I take the test I am afraid that I will forget everything I’ve studied! What should I do?

Worry and fear caused by having to take tests is sometimes called test anxiety. Every student who takes tests probably feels some anxiety. But, for many, the feelings are so intense that it affects their performance.

Test anxiety may be due to past experience with tests, the pressure of doing well on a text, and the fear of failure. Test anxiety can cause different, but related symptoms such as mental distraction, physical symptoms, and mental blocks. Mental distraction is when you may be unable to concentrate or may be easily distracted by noise while studying or during a test. Physical symptoms of test anxiety may include stomach "butterflies," rapid heart beat or breathing, sweaty palms, and headaches. And probably the most feared state, mental blocks are when you have difficulty remembering the information you have studied for the exam.

Testing does not have to be a negative experience. Some students see testing as an opportunity to show what they know. Some students need a test to act as a deadline so that they can study and learn the material that will help them in their chosen career. But other students view tests as threats.

Anxiety related to test taking might be related to many things including pressure, past experience, and fear of failure. Some people think that if they do not do well on the test, that they will not be able to get the job they want, get into graduate school, or receive respect from their parents. Others may think because they have failed a test in the past, they will fail again on all tests in the future. There are three basic things that can help a person with test anxiety: changing their thoughts about the test; relaxing; and studying.

Irrational thoughts

Changing your thoughts about the testing situation is one of the areas we rarely address; yet it is probably one of the most important. If you think that failing a test is going to keep you from having a good career or some other life changing issue, then you are putting too much pressure on yourself. Thinking a test will sink your career is an example of an irrational thought.

Irrational thoughts are ideas which are not true but because they come in to your head automatically and/or without evaluation, they are accepted as true. If you think that something bad will happen related to the test, then you tend to feel an undesired emotion such as anxiety.

Most people do not believe the world is going to end tomorrow. If this thought came into their heads, they would label it as silly and push it out of their minds. This is what you have to do with irrational ideas about test taking. Each time you think a thought such as "I am not going to remember anything," then you have to identify the thought as irrational and put it out of your head.

It is also helpful to remind yourself of the more likely and realistic situation such as, "During the test I may not remember everything, but with adequate preparation I will be able to remember most of what I studied."

Relaxation

If you find that you are so nervous when you take the test that you have difficulty concentrating and remember the answer after you leave the room, you probably could benefit from relaxation. Relaxation is easy for most of us to do, but practicing relaxation will allow us to bring it into stressful situations such as finals.

When you get a chance, try this relaxation exercise:

1. 1. Put on some soft, pleasant music or make sure you are in a quiet room
   2. Loosen any tight clothing and get comfortable
   3. Sit in an upright chair and make sure that your back and legs are supported and that your feet are flat on the floor.
   4. Breath in deeply for a count of three and exhale slowly for a count of five
   5. Do this ten times with your eyes closed and really feel yourself breath
   6. After you are done, open your eyes slowly while thinking to yourself "I am relaxed."

The exercise above will help you feel more relaxed whenever you start to feel anxious about the test. Use it before studying, before going to bed at night after studying, and even in the room when you are about to take your final. If you really have trouble doing this exercise, then go out and do some physical activity such as taking a walk. After you return, it should be much easier to relax.

Studying

It may seem obvious, but studying is probably the most important thing to do if you want to do well on a test. The problem is that so many people put off studying because they fear they may not be adequately prepared and start worrying.

You may want to think of taking a test as going into a battle. Stopping irrational thoughts and relaxation are shields against the onslaught of anxiety that may interfere with your performance. Studying is the process of sharpening your sword (or mind) which you use to conquer the exam.

Here are some tips to help you study:

1. 1. Plan your time each day. Make a schedule and keep to it. Reward yourself with something like watching TV or playing basketball only AFTER you have studied.
   2. Create a place to study. Make it a quiet place that you only use for studying. Try not to study in your bedroom, where you watch TV, or where you eat. Face away from windows and other distractions. If this is not possible because you have a small apartment or residence hall room, you may benefit from going the library.
   3. "Oh Yeah" your notes. Each night after class, pull out your notes from the day and just read them over saying to yourself, "oh yeah," as you are reminded of each concept or topic. This will increase your memorization of the topics.
   4. Create learning aids. Make flash cards and outlines of your class notes and book materials to help you remember and review the content easily.
   5. Ask a lot of questions. Become an active participant in the classroom. You will remember the material better if you participate in classroom discussions.
   6. Eat and sleep. Another obvious one, but how many of you neglect both eating and sleeping toward the end of the semester? If you want to perform well and help your brain to function optimally, you have to rest it and give it food. Don’t be fooled into thinking that staying up all night helps you to learn more, it also helps you to forget more the next day when you are exhausted.

Many of these same techniques are also useful when working on projects or preparing for critiques.

A final note: some people may try to use amphetamines or caffeine (including cokes and coffee) to study or stay up and work on projects. While these drugs do increase stamina, they also increase anxiety and can decrease performance. Even worse, the crash associated with the drugs afterwards can bring on depression and irritability. Adequate use of the techniques mentioned above will serve you better than any powder, pill, or drink.

Anxiety before an exam or presentation is to be expected. Too much anxiety can feel disabling. But, with adequate preparation and using techniques such as disputing irrational thoughts and relaxation, most people can keep their anxiety at an optimal level.

If the pressure is starting to get to you or you would like to talk about these techniques more, then make an appointment at your campus counseling center. And though you probably won’t need it if you use the strategies outlined above: good luck on finals and project critiques!