09-23-2011, 01:58 PM
I have problems with test anxiety also, and know how frustrating it can be. You know the information, even when your mind is blanking and you're staring at the page. You knew it minutes before the page appeared in front of you, but the information just will not come up. I can definitely relate.
A few things that work for me - at least in getting past that initial block - is to over-study, as burbuja0512 suggested. Also, study in different ways. Use InstantCert, write down notes from the cards, re-write the notes in a different format, type them up, rearrange them, compare them to a text, google key points, go back to InstantCert, study the written and typed notes, print the typed ones to read on paper instead of monitor, look at a different text, etc. When I do recall things, I recall images (the page of the text where the info appeared, etc) and by studying different ways and different formats, it significantly increases the likelihood that I'll be able to "see" something when a question is staring at me.
Familiarity is also a big issue, at least for me. If you're using a test center for the first time, maybe see if you can stop by and see the room where you will be testing. I do fine with course quizzes and similar things where I'm in my own, familiar surroundings, but proctored tests...forget it. The more a grade or pass/fail depends upon the test result, the more freaked I'll get, but if I'm familiar with the surroundings, it goes a very long way toward easing some of that tension. It takes an unknown out of the equation by at least knowing where you'll be and what your surroundings look like.
Lastly - and I'm not sure how it would work for someone else, but it helps me - on the way to the testing center, I don't let myself ponder and dwell on the upcoming test. Blast music, call someone...something/anything to take your mind off the exam. It's not 100% - thoughts still churn - but if I make an active effort to put it out of mind, it does help. (Though I always plan not to, I still use the walk from car to door as a last minute cram, though.)
Finally, if the first question causes a blank, mark it and move on. Keep moving on until you find ONE question that just clicks. This is why I prefer paper exams over the computerized CLEP/DSST (proctored midterms, etc). Flip through and read each question until one jumps out, "Oh, I know this one." Then go back to #1 and move forward. Sometimes, getting that one hurdle and boost of confidence going is all you need to get a rhythm started.
Good luck!
A few things that work for me - at least in getting past that initial block - is to over-study, as burbuja0512 suggested. Also, study in different ways. Use InstantCert, write down notes from the cards, re-write the notes in a different format, type them up, rearrange them, compare them to a text, google key points, go back to InstantCert, study the written and typed notes, print the typed ones to read on paper instead of monitor, look at a different text, etc. When I do recall things, I recall images (the page of the text where the info appeared, etc) and by studying different ways and different formats, it significantly increases the likelihood that I'll be able to "see" something when a question is staring at me.
Familiarity is also a big issue, at least for me. If you're using a test center for the first time, maybe see if you can stop by and see the room where you will be testing. I do fine with course quizzes and similar things where I'm in my own, familiar surroundings, but proctored tests...forget it. The more a grade or pass/fail depends upon the test result, the more freaked I'll get, but if I'm familiar with the surroundings, it goes a very long way toward easing some of that tension. It takes an unknown out of the equation by at least knowing where you'll be and what your surroundings look like.
Lastly - and I'm not sure how it would work for someone else, but it helps me - on the way to the testing center, I don't let myself ponder and dwell on the upcoming test. Blast music, call someone...something/anything to take your mind off the exam. It's not 100% - thoughts still churn - but if I make an active effort to put it out of mind, it does help. (Though I always plan not to, I still use the walk from car to door as a last minute cram, though.)
Finally, if the first question causes a blank, mark it and move on. Keep moving on until you find ONE question that just clicks. This is why I prefer paper exams over the computerized CLEP/DSST (proctored midterms, etc). Flip through and read each question until one jumps out, "Oh, I know this one." Then go back to #1 and move forward. Sometimes, getting that one hurdle and boost of confidence going is all you need to get a rhythm started.
Good luck!
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