Monday, January 7, 2013

How to Overcome Anxiety and "Bombing" on Tests

By Armand Chartier


Participation in class, completion of homework, studying hard - you might have done all these, yet when the big day of your most anticipated test came, things turned against the way you expected them. You are almost sure that you have pretty much accomplished everything possible to pass this test but how come you forgot every single item you have studied? You are quite certain that you know the answers to the questions on the test. However, you can't seem to remember anything during the test.


[Anxiety Test]



Physiological causes are the second culprit that contribute to test anxiety. The fact is that as we fear the test we tense up and breathe less. Both of these things hurt the brain's ability to be operating at peak efficiency. The fact is that the brain can use up to half the oxygen that we breathe in when we concentrate, and shallow breathing from being nervous starves our brain.

Bad Habit #1 indulging in what if thinking.what if thinking consists of thoughts like "What if I don't pass the exam?.. What if I can't study well today?..What if I get a lot of questions wrong etc." Sometimes these thoughts are mostly subconscious.To cure this problem and avoid "negative what if thinking," begin to talk to yourself inside your head and coach yourself using "positive what if thinking". Ask yourself, "What if I was able to study well today? What if I found a way to work hard? What if I got my act together despite my stress?."Then speak to yourself and say "I can do this!.. I will do this!.. I am doing this!" This starts the "turn around!" The power of this talk cannot be underestimated!

Poor performance cannot be accounted to test anxiety. When you are nervous and anxious, your mind is focused on some other things other than the answers to your test. Emotional problems, like dealing with death of a loved one or going through heartaches caused by a breakup, are triggering factors for test anxiety. Such problems prevent them from concentrating well in the test thus stop them from giving out their best for it.

By the way, you can watch free 60 second ACT Test Tip Videos without having to give your name or email address by going here: ACT Test Tips.Studying for the ACT anywhere, online with short video clips makes the ACT a breeze.Perhaps you are approaching your senior year in high school, narrowing down your choice of schools, filling out applications and signing up for the SAT test. Most likely you are planning to take it more than once. Did your stomach just do a flip-flop thinking about the test? Are you worried about it because so much rides on how well you do?

What if you could turn anxiety on its ear, pass your driving test and come out smiling on the other side? Wouldn't that be a kick in the pants? It's actually easier than you think.Here's the top 10 ways to jettison your driving test anxiety and ace the test like an old pro,Acknowledge your anxiety: First up, it's OK if you're anxious about the driving test. Lots of people feel this way. Stop trying to not be anxious and just admit to yourself that you ARE. You need to remove your denial before you can find any solutions.

Positive stress - is there such thing? Stress warns you about the need to prepare for an important situation that will happen in the near future. This is a very good way to make stress an advantage instead of allowing it to ruin your day and even your life. As stress oftentimes leads you to fear of taking the test, why not make it as a reminder for you to be ahead of the game by studying in advance? Taking stress positively will certainly help you get rid of test anxiety.

If the usual suggestions for dealing with anxiety aren't relieving it know that you are not alone. Often these suggestions cannot overcome the source of the problem because the source lies within the subconscious mind.If you have had any previous negative experiences in your past with respect to "performing", perhaps during a recital, sports event, or public speaking, it is probably affecting you today. Your subconscious mind "remembers" events that caused you concern. From that moment forward it has been constantly scanning the environment looking for the same "clues" in order to protect you from experiencing this pain again. When it finds one you know it because you experience it as "worry".

Assume that you'll be successful: How many millions of people have passed the driving test? Right. The odds are in your favour. You still need to prepare, but if Joe Schmoe can take the test and pass, so can you. Picture yourself passing. Do it several times before the test starts.

The Power of the Mind.Do not entertain negative ideas in your mind. Moreover, you should not think ahead of people. Sometimes, you tend to assume that people think negatively about you when in fact they are not. Focus more in your test and disregard what others think about you. You will find out that your test anxiety is relieved when you don't let yourself get affected by these thoughts.

One of these, EFT, Emotional Freedom Technique, founded by a Stanford engineer, Gary Craig, utilizes meridians, the energy pathways within our bodies. You may know them if you have ever had acupuncture. Another technique, Psych-K, allows us to test for and change sabotaging beliefs residing in our subconscious mind to beliefs in support of our goals.If test anxiety remains an issue for you, I encourage you to explore and learn about these techniques. Wouldn't it feel great to go into the test feeling calm and confident? Wouldn't it be fabulous if you knew you were going to do well? As Henry Ford said, "If you think you can do a thing or you think you can't do a thing, you're right."




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