Advice for test anxiety

[mimimari]

I was wondering if anyone has experienced difficulty with taking tests and what actions can reduce test anxiety and forgetting during tests?

I have to take a math CELP test in order to complete my degree, but I have never been a good test taker. I think this might be because I get test anxiety. It seems that no matter how much I study when test time comes my mind goes completely blank. The strange thing is that I don't even realize that I am nervous, my hands aren't sweating, my legs don't shake or anything like that. In my mind I say “I totally got this. I've studied, I'm calm, I know what I'm doing”, but then blank.

The anxiety seems to manifest itself as forgetting, like forgetting to put my last name on the test, the date, the material studied. A recent example is, the last math test I took was about a year and a half ago, and I forgot how take a percent of a number!( like what is 10% of 100) I had been studying this for weeks before hand and seem to have the hang of it, but on the test my mind just went blank and I was doing it all wrong.

I have never been a good test taker and I don't know why. In high school I eventually stopped studying for tests because I figured that “I'll just forget what I studied anyway, so why bother”. I was not a very good student in high school because of this attitude. I changed that attitude in college to be a better student, and my test taking did improve a bit, but I would still forget many things during tests.

What concerns me now is that I am not a good test taker and in addition I am pretty slow when it comes to math. I have been studying for this test for about a year and am going to do EE before the test and hope for the best.

For me, this is a bit embarrassing and seems petty to be scared of a math test. This has been hanging over my head for the past year and I want to just get it done, but it seems it's not that easy.

 

[Buddy]

I was wondering if anyone has experienced difficulty with taking tests and what actions can reduce test anxiety and forgetting during tests?

You may have some life experiences you can use to your advantage here. You know how you can walk from your kitchen to your bedroom and then forget what you walked into the bedroom for? And then you go back to the kitchen and remember what you needed from the bedroom because the kitchen was where you formed the idea in the first place? Well, there's a formal name for that but I don't remember what it is ATM. Something about context alignment for better recall.

Anyway, the idea is that if you will study the information in an environment that closely matches the test-taking environment, it will be much easier to remember what you need to remember.

 

[Gaby]

Hi Melissa,

EE before the test sounds like a good idea. I would listen to some white noise music (i.e. sounds of nature, rain, etc) and/or PotS before taking the test too. I would also keep a healthy boundary between other test takers and myself. People are generally anxious and it is contagious. Don't get carried away by the masses so to speak. I would rather stay "on the corner" before doing the test than to get involved in any hysteria.

You basically go there with resolution and determination in your mind, knowing that you have studied. Think of a task you have done resolutely and remember that feeling for the test. Regardless of how things go, this will keep your mind to stay alert and aware of the task at hand. You basically do your best and take what comes, without judgement.

Did you made dietary changes? Low sugar symptoms compounds anxiety problems. I don't know the regulations for this particular test, but if you are still somewhat of a carb eater, make sure you have enough vitamin C for the test. It will keep your mind sharp. Take a generous dose with you and drink it throughout the test as to distribute the dose.

Take your preferred fatty snacks if you are on the keto diet. Never mind what other people say or take to the test, you take what feels right for you.

You can also take ear plugs with you so you can better concentrate once the test starts and all the instructions are given.

If you have practice tests (past tests), you can rehearse with the ear plugs and see your timings. Practice tests are precisely to rehearse the conditions of the test, it helps with anxiety issues because the test itself is another practice trial which you have done before. You'll know even when to take a toilet break and so forth.

In short, plan in advance so you know what to do and what to take when taking the test.

If you are a smoker, make sure you take nicotine candies, patches or whatever suits you. You may or may not find candy without aspartame. I personally got aspartame nicotine candies for my last 5 hour marathon test and it worked like a charm. I had vitamin C to counteract the aspartame toxicity, but the benefits of the nicotine were irreplaceable. I noticed a high concentration immediately and decided to keep a candy underneath my tongue for the rest of the test. If you are too sensitive to aspartame, don't do this... go for the patches instead. But don't try anything new during the test itself. You might want to buy your nicotine replacement in advance and use it during a practice test or beforehand to see how you react to it.

Just some thoughts... I've taken tests my entire life! You basically want to control as most as possible the conditions of the test with tricks like the ones mentioned above. You have to feel "at home" and if you don't, you practice and plan beforehand so as to make yourself as most comfortable as possible.

My 2 cents!

 

[Oxajil]

The anxiety seems to manifest itself as forgetting, like forgetting to put my last name on the test, the date, the material studied."

In addition to what Buddy and Gaby said, one thing that helps me is always doing a check once I'm done, to see if I got everything covered. I usually don't do it in one go and then hand it in. Once I'm finished I check if I put all the important information on the test. Considering you have a time limit, practising with time pressure as Gaby explained can be really helpful. I usually divide the total time by questions needed to be answered, so that I know how much time I approx. have for each question. Some questions that I don't know right off the bat or have forgotten the answer to, I just encircle it, skip it and continue with the next question, and then come back to it once I got all the other questions.

Some people also say that valerian (herb) helps with calming oneself down, it never really worked for me, but it might for you. So that's something you can also consider.

Good luck with your test, doing EE beforehand sounds like a great idea.

 

[beetlemaniac]

I would also venture to say that you could prepare ahead of time for the test, and do the rehearsals like others have mentioned to simulate the feeling of being in a test. Then, as you close in on the test date, I think it would be advisable to reduce the pressure on yourself and focus on getting adequate rest. In everything, good sleep is key for doing the things we need to do in life.

Don't despair about not being a good test taker, I was terrible at maths too. My two cents, good luck Melissa!

 

[David]

I remember something similar... Perhaps, a good first step, in addition to what’s been said, is to just stop saying that one is a ‘bad test taker,’ in a way it could be considered a script that one believes to be true (kind of self-hypnosis)... or in another way, identifying with or as ‘something,’ that hinders personal development.... and becomes self fulfilling.

The book ‘redirect,’ mentions where one can internalise something that is simply not true...
The book ‘thinking fast and slow’... where a lot of things are habits, and we don’t realise... takes effort to change and that change, just becomes a habit, a habit of doing well at study... a habit of doing well at tests... habit at doing... perhaps all is habits, except when there not...

from ‘Pieces of Light’...

Memory is about the present as much as it is about the past, A memory is made in the moment, and collapses back into its constituent elements as soon as it is no longer required. Remembering happens in the present tense... {snip} This is how Schacter, one of the pioneers of the approach, sums it up:

We now know that we do not record our experiences the way a camera records them. Our memories work differently. We extract key elements from our experiences and store them. We then recreate or reconstruct our experiences rather than retrieve copies of them. Sometimes, in the process of reconstructing we add on feelings, beliefs, or even knowledge we obtained after the experience. In other words, we bias our memories of the past by attributing to them emotions or knowledge we acquired after the event.

Something to think about... not only about exams (before and after)...

Hope it helps a bit... FWIW

P.S. there are a few books, on memory techniques that are very useful, and very effective... I tried one and stopped after twelve pages, having woken up the next morning remembering some shopping list of twenty items, I gave it to my nephew... as it was not that important for me at the time, took a while to forget that shopping list... spoons, dishwasher power... Noooo! LOL

 

[mimimari]

Thanks everyone for the great advice!

I was wondering if anyone has experienced difficulty with taking tests and what actions can reduce test anxiety and forgetting during tests?

You may have some life experiences you can use to your advantage here. You know how you can walk from your kitchen to your bedroom and then forget what you walked into the bedroom for? And then you go back to the kitchen and remember what you needed from the bedroom because the kitchen was where you formed the idea in the first place? Well, there's a formal name for that but I don't remember what it is ATM. Something about context alignment for better recall.

Anyway, the idea is that if you will study the information in an environment that closely matches the test-taking environment, it will be much easier to remember what you need to remember.

This is a great idea, I didn't even think about it, thank you Buddy! After reading this, I was thinking about some ways I can possibly re-create the test environment. One might be to take practice tests while sitting at the library or in the front office of my apartment which will help with being removed from my comfort zone.

Hi Melissa,

EE before the test sounds like a good idea. I would listen to some white noise music (i.e. sounds of nature, rain, etc) and/or PotS before taking the test too. I would also keep a healthy boundary between other test takers and myself. People are generally anxious and it is contagious. Don't get carried away by the masses so to speak. I would rather stay "on the corner" before doing the test than to get involved in any hysteria.

You basically go there with resolution and determination in your mind, knowing that you have studied. Think of a task you have done resolutely and remember that feeling for the test. Regardless of how things go, this will keep your mind to stay alert and aware of the task at hand. You basically do your best and take what comes, without judgement.

Did you made dietary changes? Low sugar symptoms compounds anxiety problems. I don't know the regulations for this particular test, but if you are still somewhat of a carb eater, make sure you have enough vitamin C for the test. It will keep your mind sharp. Take a generous dose with you and drink it throughout the test as to distribute the dose.

Take your preferred fatty snacks if you are on the keto diet. Never mind what other people say or take to the test, you take what feels right for you.

You can also take ear plugs with you so you can better concentrate once the test starts and all the instructions are given.

If you have practice tests (past tests), you can rehearse with the ear plugs and see your timings. Practice tests are precisely to rehearse the conditions of the test, it helps with anxiety issues because the test itself is another practice trial which you have done before. You'll know even when to take a toilet break and so forth.

In short, plan in advance so you know what to do and what to take when taking the test.

If you are a smoker, make sure you take nicotine candies, patches or whatever suits you. You may or may not find candy without aspartame. I personally got aspartame nicotine candies for my last 5 hour marathon test and it worked like a charm. I had vitamin C to counteract the aspartame toxicity, but the benefits of the nicotine were irreplaceable. I noticed a high concentration immediately and decided to keep a candy underneath my tongue for the rest of the test. If you are too sensitive to aspartame, don't do this... go for the patches instead. But don't try anything new during the test itself. You might want to buy your nicotine replacement in advance and use it during a practice test or beforehand to see how you react to it.

Just some thoughts... I've taken tests my entire life! You basically want to control as most as possible the conditions of the test with tricks like the ones mentioned above. You have to feel "at home" and if you don't, you practice and plan beforehand so as to make yourself as most comfortable as possible.

My 2 cents!

Thank you Gaby! I have made dietary changes, I usually keep my carbs below 20g and eat as much fat as I can get. I have also been getting more sleep with the least amount of light as possible. Vitamin C is also a great idea. I recently created an iced drink that has dissolved Ascorbic acid, coconut water, Liposomal C, and a dash of blueberry juice. I can take this with me on the test day to stay sharp and focused.

Nicotine gum is a great idea also! I will look into that. This test is only 90 minuets, nothing near a 5 hour test. :O Listening to white noise is a good idea, I don't usually listen to nature sounds or rain. I have timed myself before, and I was too slow. That is an area for improvement.

In addition to what Buddy and Gaby said, one thing that helps me is always doing a check once I'm done, to see if I got everything covered. I usually don't do it in one go and then hand it in. Once I'm finished I check if I put all the important information on the test. Considering you have a time limit, practising with time pressure as Gaby explained can be really helpful. I usually divide the total time by questions needed to be answered, so that I know how much time I approx. have for each question. Some questions that I don't know right off the bat or have forgotten the answer to, I just encircle it, skip it and continue with the next question, and then come back to it once I got all the other questions.

Some people also say that valerian (herb) helps with calming oneself down, it never really worked for me, but it might for you. So that's something you can also consider.

Good luck with your test, doing EE beforehand sounds like a great idea.

I agree Oxajil! Luckily on this test it is okay to skip questions and go back to them at a later time. So my plan can be, to go through the test and answer all of the questions I can answer quickly, then attempt some of the more difficult time consuming questions. I have 90 minutes to answer 60 questions, so that is about one and a half minutes for each question, which is pretty good.

I am also looking into some herbal supplements or teas that I can drink before. There is a little shop near by that sells loose herbs and things. I think they may have Valerian root, I will try that. Thank you! It would be interesting to experiment with how some of the herbal teas or roots taste when brewed in bone broth, then that could be breakfast.

I would also venture to say that you could prepare ahead of time for the test, and do the rehearsals like others have mentioned to simulate the feeling of being in a test. Then, as you close in on the test date, I think it would be advisable to reduce the pressure on yourself and focus on getting adequate rest. In everything, good sleep is key for doing the things we need to do in life.

Don't despair about not being a good test taker, I was terrible at maths too. My two cents, good luck Melissa!

Thanks beetlemaniac. I just recently finished reading 'Lights Out', it is a great book. I'm still getting through the thread on it here on the forum, but I have made some changes in my sleeping habit, and have noticed some differences.

For a long time I have wondered why some people are good at math and others are not. I am lucky that I have my husband to help when I get really stuck and frustrated with a math problem. He will look at it and solve it in a few seconds, it's crazy. I ask him how he does it, how is he so good at math.

I remember something similar... Perhaps, a good first step, in addition to what’s been said, is to just stop saying that one is a ‘bad test taker,’ in a way it could be considered a script that one believes to be true (kind of self-hypnosis)... or in another way, identifying with or as ‘something,’ that hinders personal development.... and becomes self fulfilling.

The book ‘redirect,’ mentions where one can internalise something that is simply not true...
The book ‘thinking fast and slow’... where a lot of things are habits, and we don’t realise... takes effort to change and that change, just becomes a habit, a habit of doing well at study... a habit of doing well at tests... habit at doing... perhaps all is habits, except when there not...

from ‘Pieces of Light’...

Memory is about the present as much as it is about the past, A memory is made in the moment, and collapses back into its constituent elements as soon as it is no longer required. Remembering happens in the present tense... {snip} This is how Schacter, one of the pioneers of the approach, sums it up:

We now know that we do not record our experiences the way a camera records them. Our memories work differently. We extract key elements from our experiences and store them. We then recreate or reconstruct our experiences rather than retrieve copies of them. Sometimes, in the process of reconstructing we add on feelings, beliefs, or even knowledge we obtained after the experience. In other words, we bias our memories of the past by attributing to them emotions or knowledge we acquired after the event.

Something to think about... not only about exams (before and after)...

Hope it helps a bit... FWIW

P.S. there are a few books, on memory techniques that are very useful, and very effective... I tried one and stopped after twelve pages, having woken up the next morning remembering some shopping list of twenty items, I gave it to my nephew... as it was not that important for me at the time, took a while to forget that shopping list... spoons, dishwasher power... Noooo! LOL

Thank you Davida for sharing that quote. I definitely need to change the narrative on this. I am really grateful for all of the advice and sharing your experiences. I feel a lot more confident and feel like maybe I can go in on test day and do my best, without anticipating the outcome, without judgment, viewing it more like an adventure of sorts. Thank you all very much.