Test Anxiety to Me, Test Anxiety Is

Test Anxiety To me, test anxiety is something more than a feeling of mild nervousness or stress when taking a test, which is a normal emotion. For many people, this nervousness can provide a type of inspiration or energy needed to perform well on a test. However, test anxiety is not a normal reaction to a test-taking situation, and goes beyond normal feelings of anticipation.

In fact, for many people, test anxiety reflects a serious enough condition that it might actually impede test performance so that test results show little relationship to either actual knowledge or ability. I am fortunate in that I do not generally experience test anxiety. Generally, tests make me feel a little bit of nervous energy, which tends to dissipate when I sit down to take the test.

I try to be very prepared when I sit down to take a test, so that I am not ever surprised or overwhelmed by material on a test. Therefore, as a result, I have to admit that I found this assignment a challenge because of my test-taking comfort level. However, I am currently taking an anatomy and physiology course that I find particularly challenging. I actually found myself experiencing my first bit of test anxiety when preparing for a test for this class.

The more that I studied for the test, the more overwhelmed I felt about the prospect of taking the test. Therefore, my normal studying strategy actually became somewhat counterproductive. Normally if I am about to take a test, I study until I feel as if I adequately understand the information, spending as much time as necessary to master the material. However, for this particular test, the more time I devoted to the material, the greater my confusion about the material, and the higher my anxiety level.

I allowed this anxiety to cloud my judgment, and failed to get adequate rest and nutrition for the test. I normally go into a test situation with a full night's sleep, an adequate breakfast, and even an attempt to exercise in the morning if time permits. However, I went into the first test in that course with very little sleep, grabbed a sugary breakfast on the way to the test, and did not get any exercise.

When I sat down at the test, I was overwhelmed by the test immediately and wasted several minutes just looking at the first question. Furthermore, because I anticipate having anatomy and physiology-related classes throughout the rest of my education, I realize that I may face this type of anxiety in other courses. The first thing that I need to remember is that I cannot fix a long-term lack of understanding in a single study session.

I need to be more honest with myself about problem areas and capabilities, and seek out help prior to the night before the test. After the test, I actually looked up some of the difficult information on the web and found that a different approach helped me understand the material. Whether I need to seek the help of a professor, teaching assistant, or use some of the amazing tutorial resources available online, I need to find that information and access it well before test-time.

The second thing I need to remember is that studying time should be limited the day before the test. After a certain point, studying is only.