Summary

Brian:

Hi guys, how's it going?

Deena:

Going great for me, how about you?

Brian:

Now that my test is over, I'm doing fine.

Lori:

Don't mean to get personal, but how did the test go?

Brian:

You know, it went really well. I don't know what I made, but I felt good about it when I turned it in.  

Jose:

Man, that's great! Congratulations!

Deena:

Yeah Brian, congratulations!

Brian:

Stop, you're embarrassing me. And besides, I owe you a big thank you for the relaxation techniques and test-taking strategies you showed me.

Lori:

Really? Tell us about it.

Brian:

Well, the night before the exam I got all of my stuff together and went to bed early so I could get up early the next morning. I reviewed my notes for a few minutes and then went on to the exam. I got there about 5 minutes early so I could get a good seat and get my materials ready.

Deena:

That's great Brian!

Brian:

Yeah, I even had time to do the deep-breathing exercise you showed me how to do.   I think it really helped me keep calm and stay focused.

Jose:

Cool! I'm going to try that the next time I have an exam.

Brian:

I highly recommend it.

Lori:

So once you got the exam, how did it go?

Brian:

Well, the exam had four essay questions which we had to answer in a two hour time period. I did fine on the first two questions, but then my mind went blank and I couldn't think of how to answer either of the last two questions. So I turned the test over, closed my eyes, and tried to relax for a minute or two.

Jose:

Did that help?

Brian:

You bet. I remembered the game technique Deena told us about, so I told myself that when I opened my eyes, I would pretend like the question was a game and just start writing anything I could think of.

Deena:

And that helped you think of different ways to answer the question.

Brian:

Exactly! And surprisingly, I only had to revise the answer a couple of times before I got it the way I wanted it.

Lori:

Neat! I think all of us will do better on future exams now that we have these test-taking strategies and relaxation techniques to use.

Jose:

Yeah, hopefully I'll do good on my science exam next week. Speaking of which, it's time for my afternoon study session, so I've got to go.

Brian:

See ya, Jose, and good luck with your studying!