Coping With Test Anxiety

Recognizing and Handling Exam-Related Stress

Most online college students feel at least a little twinge before taking a test. That's normal. But for some the anticipation builds and a sense of debilitating dread sweeps over them. Such a high level of anxiety can overwhelm a student with pre-test jitters and cause a lower test score. If this is describes you, then the next question is; Is your apprehension rational or irrational? It is important to honestly discern the difference so you can develop the best strategy for managing your anxiety.

You have a rational fear if the thing that you are fearing is likely to happen. So if you haven't studied for your test, and you are afraid that you are going to get a bad grade, you are experiencing a rational fear. However, if you have prepared well for your test and you are afraid of drawing a complete blank when the time comes, you are having an irrational fear. These two types of anxiety need to be dealt with in different ways, but the way anxiety manifests itself is the same as adrenaline courses through your body and the hour approaches.

Symptoms of Anxiety:

• Physical Signs; sweating, sweaty hands, rapid breathing and heartbeat, muscle tension and "butterflies" or upset stomach.
• Emotional Signs; sense of dread, nervousness and feeling out of sorts.
• Psychological Signs; spinning thoughts of failure, negative thinking and internal talk that is self-defeating.
• Cognitive Signs; poor concentration, forgetting things and decreased ability to focus or stay organized.

So, which camp do you fall into?

Rational Test Anxiety You are not ready for the test and you are stressed out about doing poorly because you know that you are ill-prepared. This can result from a number of reasons; distracting circumstances that prevent you from attending to your studies such as; family crisis, physical illness or catastrophic natural occurrences. More likely you are not ready for this test because you had; poor organization, inefficient time management and procrastination issues.

What's to be done? For this one you will have to focus on the future, the imminent test is probably a wash. Even if you cram all night, you will be left feeling too exhausted to function intelligently. Your best strategy is to accept responsibility for letting this test get past you without the right amount of attention, realize that it is only one test, and set your sites on improving your study habits.

• Develop good study habits. You will have to do more than just soak up the class or cram the night before the test. A routine of regular studying at intervals throughout the semester is the best plan.
• Confidence; you can't fake this. Real confidence in your abilities will come from knowing the material well, along with your expectation that you will do well.

Irrational Test Anxiety This type of anxiousness arises when you have studied thoroughly, know the material, and yet have gotten worked up into a state of near panic. This might be called performance anxiety and is similar to stage fright. Students in this category may suffer from perfectionist tendencies, have fear of failure or may put a great deal of weight on what others expect of them. Whether by their own expectations or the expectations of others, those with irrational test anxiety put too much pressure on themselves to achieve high scores. When this builds to an excruciating crescendo of anxiety, it ultimately interferes with performing well at all.

As a test approaches do you begin to have a fear of going blank at the critical moment? Heightened stress can cause you to have trouble reading questions or directions well, and diminish your comprehension. You may know an answer, but have trouble recalling it as anxiety interrupts your memory recall and self-doubt rises, making it hard to remember words and ideas.

What's to be done?

• Maintain a regular study routine. Having yourself well-prepared will eliminate any rational fears of poor performance and what you need to know during an exam will be there once you manage your irrational anxieties through stress reduction.
• Use relaxation techniques. Be aware of your breathing, slow it down and make it conscious. Tense and relax muscle groups to release physical tension. Practice relaxation strategies so that they are ready to work for you when you need them.
• Feed yourself positive messages. Or perhaps more to the point, stop giving yourself negative messages. When you dwell on thoughts of failure you increase your stress level. Interrupt the negative loop of thoughts like; "What if I forget? I know I'm going to freeze up.", and the like. When a negative thought arises, identify it, and replace it with positive self-talk such as; "I am ready for this." and "What is the best way to solve this problem?".

Feelings of stress are a normal response to a challenge, signaling you to get ready, so don't get to stressed out about your stress. As an online college student you care about your education, are self-motivated and have the internal drive to keep yourself on track. Just don't let that inner voice become too demanding. You will have to expect some stress over how well you do. If you are proactive about your stress, it can even enhance your performance by helping you be more alert and motivated to prepare well for the upcoming challenge. Channel that nervous energy and don't let it throw you into a panic.

Some sound advice for anyone with an upcoming test, regardless of their reasons for concern over their performance:

• Get enough rest; last minute cramming is off of the list for improving your test scores. If you have not gotten enough sleep, your brain will not be able to retrieve any of the information you stuffed it with by staying up all night.
• In the midst of the fray, stop worrying. Worrying does not help anything.
• Avoid too much caffeine. Just a bit may sharpen your senses, but too much can make you more edgy, the last thing you need.
• Give yourself permission to tolerate mistakes and learn from them. This means more than shrugging them off, it means modifying your behavior for a different outcome.
• Read the directions twice.
• Work in an organized manner, pacing yourself and answering the easiest questions first.
• Stay hydrated and eat healthy. Your body and your brain need the right fuel for optimal performance.
• Get exercise. Physical activity burns off body tension and puts you into a more physically relaxed state. Your mind will follow.