Academic Support Center REDUCE TEST ANXIETY Phyllis W. Zahnd, Ph.D. Welcome to this Power Point video cast on Reducing Test Anxiety Test Anxiety Physical – bodily sensations consisting of chemical, hormonal and muscular changes. The fight or flight response protects us. Many functions shut down during the fight or flight response. Mental – thoughts or feelings that accompany these bodily sensations. Anxiety can result from a person’s expectations about what is likely to happen. TESTS AND GRADES ARE NOT A MEASURE OF SELF-WORTH They do not measure what kind of a person you are. They do not measure your intelligence or creativity. Believing that tests tell you about your self- worth gives tests a lot of power. This causes anxiety. It is easier to do well if you don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Prepare Well to Avoid Anxiety Set clear goals and put them in writing. Refer back to your goals to make sure you remember them and use them to create priorities. Be prepared and organized. Prepare from day one by attending class and doing the assignments. Review material regularly throughout the semester. Clear up confusion promptly. Get a study buddy or join a study group. Use different strategies to master different types of material. Begin intensive review at least several days in advance of a big test. Answer practice questions. Habits and Tips to Reduce Anxiety Allow plenty of time to get to the test. The night before lay out the things you will need and double check the exam time and location. Get a good night’s sleep. Remember to eat well. Avoid cramming during the hours that precede the test. Don’t drink caffeine which mimics and escalates feelings of anxiety. Choose a good seat location that will help you to avoid distractions. Use a relaxation technique as test papers are distributed to clear your mind. Avoid nervous students. Pre-test dialogue about the test or about your nervous feelings will not help you. Attitude and Anxiety We create positive or negative feelings about ourselves. These feelings create expectations. Choose your thoughts. Thoughts will determine how you perceive yourself. Choose the behavior that will result in the outcome that you want. Don’t engage in the blame game. Learn from mistakes so you don’t repeat them. Replace Negative Thoughts First become aware of the negative thoughts Self-doubt: Did you study enough? Are you smart enough? Are other smarter? Replace negative thoughts with a positive behavior. Do the work. Study, don’t cram. Reduce Anxiety During the Test Read directions carefully. Don’t rush through the directions to “save time.” Budget your time. If you go blank, go on to the next question. Don’t worry if other students are handing their papers in early. Learn to Relax Learn different techniques to relax. Choose the ones that work best for you. Practice it in situations where you are calm. It won’t work well if you use it only in tense situations. Relaxation Technique Get comfortable sitting in your chair. Roll your shoulders forward and back. Tighten and relax different muscle groups, one group at a time. Begin to be aware of your breathing. Breathe slowly and deeply. Each time you breathe out, say “relax” to yourself. Peaceful Meadow Relaxation Technique Get yourself in a relaxed state of mind. If not possible, start with the next step. Imagine yourself walking through trees. There is a clearing and you enter a meadow. Put yourself in the setting – what are you doing? Notice how it looks, feels, smells as you move through the meadow. Sit down and relax. As you re-orient to the present, take the peace with you. Other Visualization Techniques Other environments are also quite relaxing. Imagine a place that feels safe, peaceful, restful, beautiful or happy. It can be a beach, the sky, a forest, a lake, a garden or a mountain. Create a mental picture of the scene. You can combine the visual image with sound and smell if you wish. You can move through the scene and imagine it as an experience. Thank you and Good Luck Thank you for listening to this video case on reducing test anxiety. If you have any questions, please come to the Academic Support Center on the ground floor of the Library. Download the referral form on the ASC page of the WCC website and come to get help with reducing test anxiety and other study skills. References Academic Support Center. “Learning Strategies Online.” Louisiana State University. 15 September 2010. Center for Teaching and Learning. “Dealing With Test Anxiety.” University of Alabama. Web. 28 February 2011. Center for Teaching and Learning. “What Causes Test Anxiety?”University of Alabama. Web. 28 February 2011. Counseling Services. “Test Anxiety.” University at Buffalo The State University of New York. Web. 15 September 2010. Ellis, Dave. Becoming A Master Student Twelfth Edition. Mason, Ohio: Cengage Learning, 2009. Print. Inner Health Studio. “Peaceful Meadow.” Inner Health Studio. Web. 1 March 2011. Inner Health Studio. “Quick-Relaxation.” Inner Health Studio. Web. 1 March 2011. Mind Tools. “Relaxation Techniques/Imagery.” Mind Tools. Web. 1 March 2011. “Overcoming Test Anxiety.” Study Guides an Strategies. Web. 15 September 2010. “Self-Help: Test anxiety.” University of Texas at Dallas. Web. 15 September 2010. Student Development Centre. “Managing Test Anxiety.” University of Western Ontario. Web. 15 September 2010. University Counseling & Testing Center. “Test Anxiety.” University of Oregon. Web. 15 September 2010.

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Clearly mental anxiety will interfere with taking a test . emotional may be crying here that the lady frustration fear or panic . really good and free speech clean these ways experiencing stress are blurred . but it is useful to try to identify how you feel when you have test anxiety . Identifying the way you feel may help you target a week to get control . . 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Allow plenty of time to get to the test . the night before lay out the things you will need and double check the exam time and location . get a good night's sleep . remember to eat well . Avoid cramming during the hours that c to ten . don't ring caffeine which mimics and escalates feelings of anxiety . she said good seat location that will help you to Avoid distractions . use a relaxation technique as test papers are distributed to clear your mind . Avoid nervous . you can . Pre test dialogue about the test or about your nervous feelings will not help you . Attitude and Anxiety . we create positive when making feelings about ourselves . peace feelings create expectations . use your thoughts . thoughts will determine how you perceive yourself . use the heat here that will result in the outcome that you want . Sometimes we don't realize that RPK get determines the outcome . if you want to do well you need to work hard and study . don't blame the teacher or bad Luck . and don't blame yourself and feel guilty which will only make you feel bad and not help you to learn new P. H. . learn from your estate so that you don't repeat them . least make it Thoughts first become aware of can make it a poet . SELF doubt . BT study enough but you smart enough are the this smarter . Replace negative thoughts with positive that he here . do the where . study don't cram . the tense Anxiety During the test . don't let that of the starting blocks too fast . the test is not a race . take the trying to be fit directions carefully . for example in a multiple choice test the directions may say that there is more than one correct answer but that there is one the answer to that . Knowing this will help you to think through the choices . essay questions will tell you exactly what you need to address . it is a shame to write a good essay that does not answer the question . don't spend too much time on any one question . move on and come back to think that you are not sure . a mint I are going blank . here is the difference between a timed test . the announce that I knew have to do that . trying to test is one of speed . soapy don't know something come back to it later . in some tests the in out the time you can can be quite generous there is no need to rush . you will do well if you know what type of text to taking belief he use your time well . learn to relax . if you use relaxation techniques only in tense situations . you look at the end . just thinking about relaxing . he need to associate relaxation techniques with BEING relaxed . that is why it is important to practice it frequently in everyday life when you and not just that . the more you practice a bit better you will get at making it work . help you to go for calm the anxiety you feel . if one Relaxation Technique Get comfortable in your King . Roll your shoulders falling and back . I who can relax different muscle groups one group at the time . begin to be aware of your breathing . breathe slowly and deeply . each time you Pre that say relax to yourself . . place in the tree is a really good way to relax . imagine yourself in nature . imagine yourself walking through some trees and the leaves are blowing gently in the pre . you walk towards a clearing and you are in a meadow . the sky is blue with white puffy clouds . the sun is shining the air smells crisp and cream . the ground beef your feet feels soft with grass . wildflowers grow in clusters in the distance . with each step that you take feel yourself get more relaxed . imagine this peaceful meadow . he spread a blanket and it gets her man . Lie down if you wish . this into the gentle peaceful sounds of the net know . here the parents singing . feel the gentle breeze and the soft point that the sun . smell the grass and the wildflowers . close your eyes and three . Enjoy the peace and comfort of an echo . now it is time to leave Indiana but you will take some of the peace with you if you go . slowly open your eye . read orient to the present . check your muscles and Allow yourself to re awaken . keep the calm with you as QB and to the present . Other Visualization Techniques Other environments are also quite relaxing . imagine a place that feels safe peaceful restful your focal or happy . he can be a beach the sky foreign . a lake a garden or and and ten . create a mental picture of the scene . you can combine the the Philippine each with sound and smell if you wish . you can move through the scene and imagine it as an experience . . thank you for listening to this video on Reducing Test Anxiety . if you have any questions please come to the Academic Support Center which is located on the ground floor of the library . just download the referral form the Academic Support Center page of the Westchester Community College website and get help with reducing test anxiety and other steel . the tutors are here to help heal . this is a list of References that are used to prepare this video . .