Preparing for Tests
Conquering Test-Day Jitters
- BE CONFIDENT
- Envision yourseld in a situation you find challenging and invigorating; a soccer player might imagine scoring a goal or a mountain climber might envision herself topping a ridge. Then switch your mental image to the testing roomand imagine yourself feeling the same way.
- Write down fears and anxieties before the test to free working memory and preventing distractions during the test.
- To combat self-doubts (such as "I'm bad in math"), remind yourself of proen personal traits and strengths that can propel you to success.
- Practice in advance facing all the pressures you will face on exam day, such as driving to the testing center or visiting an unfamiliar testing room.
- Test yourself by recalling broad concepts rather than trying to memorize facts or re-reading textbooks.
- Before the test, envision yourself answering questions calmly and with confidence.
How to do Your Best on the Big Test
- Review the hardest material right before bedtime. Going to sleep right away consolidates the information in your memory.
- Turn off music, text messages, TV and email. Distractions make you less likely to remeber material you were studying at the time.
- Test yourself repeatedly. Students remeber more when they force themselves to retrieve concepts than when they simply re-read the textbook or their notes.
- Eat oatmeal for beakfast. Balanced, slow-digesting diet provides a sustained flow of glucose to the brain.