During the exam
- Pay attention to the test, not to yourself or others. Don't waste time worrying, doubting yourself, wondering how other people are doing, blaming yourself, etc. Don't worry about what you should have done; pay attention to what you can do now.
- Direct your focus on questions; try to link questions to their corresponding lecture and/or chapter.
- Don't spend too much time on any one question. If you can't come up with the answer, quickly move on to questions you can answer. This will get your mental processes and concentration ready for more difficult questions. You can always come back if you have time. Higher scores will usually result from trying all items.
- If you're taking an essay test and you go blank and can't think of anything to write, go on to another question or another part of the test. Pick a question and start writing. Jot down anything you can recall on scratch paper to stimulate your memory and get your mind working. It may trigger the answer in your mind.
- If the exam is more difficult than you anticipated, try to focus and just do your best. It might be enough to get you through, even with a reasonable grade!
- Do not obsess about running out of time on the test. Check the time periodically (say after you've finished a third of the test), but avoid checking too frequently, as this will only distract you and make you more anxious. Remind yourself that it's better to miss a few points by not quite finishing the test than to lose your concentration and thus miss many points.
- Practice visualizing a calm, soothing scene (such as a beach or mountains) and use this when you feel anxious.
- If you notice that you are not thinking well, you are worrying excessively about one problem, you are not reading carefully, you are forgetting information you know, or your muscles are tight, try this anxiety control procedure:
- Turn the test paper over and close your eyes.
- Change positions to help you relax. Stretch your arms and legs and then relax them again. Tense and relax muscles in several parts of your body, then take several deep breaths with your eyes still closed. Breathe in slowly to the count of seven and exhale to the count of seven. Concentrate on your breathing.
- If possible, do something different for a few seconds. For example: get a drink, sharpen a pencil, eat a snack, ask a question.
- Turn the test paper right side up, and give yourself a positive self-talk (i.e., "You're sure to do well. You studied hard and remember, you got an A on that final in physics.") This whole procedure should take only about a minute to do. It's well worth the time!
- Think of the test as a game. Your goal is to collect as many points as you can in the time available. Don't worry about a particular question. If you're unsure of the answer, guess and move on. Remind yourself that you can miss a few questions and still get an A.
- Don't panic when students start handing in their papers. There's no reward for being the first done.
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