Do You Have Test Anxiety?

Test anxiety can create major roadblocks in a student’s academic success. Identifying whether you have it can help you find solutions to overcoming the symptoms and therefore help you reach a greater level of academic enjoyment and success. Take the following questionnaire to see if you may suffer from test anxiety.

 

COLLEGE HEALTH SERVICES PERSONAL COUNSELING

Do You Have Test Anxiety?

1.   I sometimes have trouble sleeping the night before a test.                              Yes       No

2.   During a test my palms frequently sweat.                                                     Yes       No

3.   Before a test, I often get a headache.                                                           Yes       No

4.   During a test, I often get nauseated.                                                             Yes       No

5.   Because of panic, I sometimes leave class on a test day.                                 Yes       No

6.   I often have pains in my neck, back or legs during a test.                               Yes       No

7.   My heart sometimes pounds just before or after a test.                                   Yes       No

8.   I often feel nervous and jittery when I am taking a test.                                 Yes       No

9.   While testing, my mind often goes blank, even when I am prepared.               Yes       No

10.     I sometimes lose my appetite before a test.                                                   Yes       No

11.     I often make careless errors on tests.                                                            Yes       No

12.     I frequently worry when other students finish a test before me.                      Yes       No

13.     I often feel pushed for time when I am taking a test.                                     Yes       No

14.     I sometimes worry that everyone is doing okay on the test but me.                 Yes       No

15.     When I am taking a test I sometimes think of my past failures.                       Yes       No

16.     During a test, I often feel as if I studied all of the wrong things.                     Yes       No

17.     I frequently have trouble thinking clearly during tests.                                  Yes       No

18.     I often have a hard time understanding directions on tests.                             Yes       No

19.     After a test, it is not uncommon for answers that left blank

or not answered to come to my mind.                                                          Yes       No

If you checked “Yes” ten or more times to any of these questions, you are most likely experiencing test anxiety. You may want to consider seeing a personal counselor for tips on how to relieve your symptoms. To make an appointment with a personal counselor on our ___FACILITY NAME___ campus call (___) ___-____ or come by the Health and Wellness office in the ____________ Building, Room _____.

For more information see: Identifying Test Anxiety: A guide for FACILITY NAME students.

Other web links:

www.campusblues.com/ A user-friendly guide for college student’s emotional health

www.counseling.uci.edu/counsel/testanx.html Provides tips for dealing with test anxiety

IDENTIFYING TEST ANXIETY

Do you study before an exam, think that you know the material, and then walk into the classroom and panic? Do you worry excessively about your performance in school? Do you spend time worrying before, during and after a test and what the consequences of failure will be? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, you have experienced test anxiety.

Some causes of test anxiety are pressure, past experiences and fear of failure. every student feels some anxiety. But for some students the feeling is so intense that it affects their performance with serious results. Test anxiety manifests itself in two ways, physical symptoms and emotional worries:

PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS

§  Rapid breathing

§  Tense Muscles

§  Sweaty palms

§  "Butterflies in stomach"

§  Dizziness

§  Increased heart rate

§  Nausea

EMOTIONAL WORRY

A.   Worry can lead to negative thinking:

§  Comparing self with other students

§  Worrying about the consequences of failing an exam or class

§  Worrying that failure means lacking the smarts to be in school

B.   Worry can distract your thinking during the test.

C.   Worry can cause you to misread the instructions or questions.

D.   Worry causes you to have less time focused on the exam.

E.   Worry can cause you to "blank out", forgetting the material you have studied.

Not only can worry reinforce negative thoughts, but it also can be the cause of poor performance.

SOLUTIONS

1.   Developing effective study skills will give you confidence.

§  Develop a schedule

§  Create learning cards

§  Attend all the classes

§  Ask questions

§  Get tutoring when needed

§  Use the Reading/Study skill center at the college library

2.   Learn good test taking skills.

§  Budget your time

§  Do the easy questions first

§  Don't rush; use the full time allowed

§  Don't leave blanks; make an educated guess

§  Read choices carefully

§  Mark a question you don't know ad return later

3.   Learn to say "Stop!"

As soon as you begin to distract yourself from what you're doing, i.e. you're studying for an exam, and you begin to worry, say "stop!" to yourself either silently or aloud.  This process will help keep you focused and will help you become aware of what you are concentrating on - your academic task or worry.

4.   Don't let emotions interfere with logic.

Think about why you become anxious and afraid:

§  Begin to recognize self-defeating thoughts i.e. "I could never study enough for this test."

§  Come up with a list of counter thoughts i.e. "I have a lot to study but, if I stick to my schedule and concentrate, I can do it!"

5.   Don't put your whole future on the line with a single test.

It is unlikely that one test will make or break your chances. Greatly reducing test anxiety will enhance your college experience. A simple anxiety reduction activity can be a walk along the beach or even a walk around campus. Another anxiety reduction exercise is deep breathing. Choose a quiet place, sitting down, feet on floor, eyes closed, hands in lap. Breathe in through nose to the count of three, exhale through mouth to the count of six. Do this three times.

Remember: once you are aware of experiencing test anxiety, finding the solution for it will be relatively simple.

6.   Talk to a counselor for stress reduction techniques. You can learn skills to eliminate or reduce test anxiety. For an appointment on campus call (___) ___-____.

Used with permission from:

Santa Barbara City College

Health Services & Wellness Program

G: III A2e_Screening Test Anxiety/Student Health Screenings/Student Success