Has test anxiety prevented you from reaching high scores?

Has test taking anxiety stopped you from doing your tests well? Do you want to do something about it? Then the first step towards cure is to find out if you are suffering from an anxiety disorder. The level of anxiety can be measured using anxiety disorder test that is available. Anxiety self tests should be answered honestly to get an honest result. Time should be taken to read the questions and understand them completely before opting to answer.

Every one suffers from some amount of anxiety which is normal and is no cause for worry. However severe cases of anxiety could greatly affect the quality of one's life. Anxiety is the most common form of mental illness with nearly 20 million Americans affected by it.

Excessive anxiety before a test is called test anxiety and is commonly seen among children at school going age, though it could affect anyone. A certain amount of anxiety before the test would ensure good preparation and will keep one focussed on the task ahead. However, excessive levels of anxiety could lead to inability to remember facts during the test and even interfere with study patterns.

Test anxiety is a form of performance anxiety which is anxiety caused in situations that lay a stress on performance. When the end result of the program is very important, it causes increased anxiety as the pressure to perform well adds to stress. Situations like public speaking, solo dance performances and other areas that lay onus on doing well cause increased amount of stress among certain people.

'Butterflies in the stomach' is a term that is used often to describe the anxiety that one feels before a test, however, increased amounts of test anxiety could cause nervousness or a shaky feeling and in extreme cases the person might even faint. Test anxiety is caused due to a lot of focus given on doing well and the requirement to excel. Such pressures could result in anxious moments as doubts regarding one's ability increase the fear of under performing. The person taking up the test would be worried about the high scores that ought to be obtained and this focus together with a worry about his capabilities to get the score could result in nervousness and bitter thoughts that could hamper preparation for the test. The low scores that are obtained after the test is taken as a result of such anxious preparation will create the foundation for further worry and more anxious preparation the next time round.

Test anxiety will be felt by people who have not prepared well enough and are nervous about taking up the test and doing poorly. It is natural for people who have not prepared well to be anxious about the test as they know for sure that they will not be able to answer well. Improper test preparation may be due to preoccupation with some other event, inability to understand the material that is provided, distraction caused as a result of excessive TV or sports etc. Sometimes insufficient sleep will also lead to test anxiety as the person will be too tired to perform well and will be worried about how much he/she would remember.

A person exhibiting perfectionist behaviour will also be susceptible to test anxiety as the need to complete the test as perfectly as possible will weigh on them heavily and cause excessive amounts of anxiety. Such people will never be happy with mediocre test results and will expect high results.

Text anxiety can be channelled positively by using the nervousness to prepare for the test well in advance. As it is caused due to insufficient preparation in certain cases, good and thorough preparation would aid in reducing symptoms of test anxiety. When the levels of anxiety due to tests reach large proportions and one does not remember many things during the test though one has prepared well or if one is experiencing extreme nervousness, then the teacher or the student counsellor should be taken into confidence and the test anxiety problem should be discussed in detail. Guidance provided by such counsellors will greatly aid in removing test taking anxiety.

High amounts of text anxiety could hamper preparation for tests and could result in an inability to perform well in tests. In order to overcome test anxiety one must work hard to remove negative thoughts and feelings associated with tests. Wondering about bad test scores and penalties to be paid for the poor scores could increase anxiety and is completely unnecessary. Whenever such thoughts arise, the person should consciously distract themselves or force themselves to think about something entirely different. A positive attitude should be brought into test taking and good results and better prospects should be visualised. This will help calm one's nerves and at the same time provide focus and motivation to achieve better.

Good study habits that permit good preparation for tests will reduce the levels of test taking anxiety and will allow the person to take up the test bravely. Preparation for tests does not include the number of hours that have been put into the preparation but the quality of work accomplished. When study patterns are followed throughout the academic year last minute cramming before the test would be rendered unnecessary.

To avoid text taking anxiety to a large extent, good sleep the night before the test is essential. Hurried revisions and cramming should be avoided before entry into the test hall. The mind should be kept tension free and calm till the start of the exams. Trying to focus on oneself before a test will help in relieving stress. Breathing exercises have always been great stress busters and these should be followed in the minutes before taking an exam to avoid text anxiety.

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