Take A Deep Breath
We've all been breathing our whole lives, but most of us don't learn to take advantage of using our breath to help us. We've all been told to breathe deeply to help calm down, but for truly effective relaxation there are specific techniques that can help. Any breathing pattern where you exhale for longer than you inhale helps the body relax, but one of the best techniques is called 4-7-8 breathing. Here's how to do it
Tips for Reducing Test Anxiety
The way we talk to ourselves can either help us relax and feel more confident or it can make us more stressed out and anxious so it's important to keep our self talk as positive as possible. It can be helpful to use "even though" statements to balance uncomfortable feelings with positive thoughts. Use the phrases below for inspiration.
- Even though I feel so anxious about this test, I know I will do my best.
- I have worked hard and learned a lot regardless of how I do on this test.
- I am prepared.
- How I do on this test doesn't mean anything about who I am as a person.
You can ramp up your regular study sessions by creating routines. Routines are specific things that you do every time you study that you can also do during the test. They create connections in your brain between the information and the routine so when you recreate the routine at the time of the test it can help you better remember information.
Examples of routines can include:
- chewing gum or sucking on a mint
- wearing specific clothing/shoes
- moving jewelry to different finger/arm before starting
Trying to cram information into a single study session may be tempting, but it makes it less likely that you'll be able to remember the information. Instead, set aside regular time to spend reviewing the information before the day of the test.
The Day Before the Test
- Get a good night's sleep- It can be tempting to stay up late to study more, but sleep is important to a fully functioning brain on the day of the test
- Eat Healthy Foods- many people experience an upset stomach when they are anxious so eating healthy foods that typically digest easily for you can help reduce stomach problems and provide good brain fuel
The Day of the Test
- Limit caffeine intake-too much caffeine can increase anxiety and jitters.
- Exercise-some evidence suggests that 20 minutes of moderate exercise before taking a test can increase performance
Test Taking Strategies
Tapping for Test Anxiety
Tapping is a well-supported therapeutic practice that is shown to reduce uncomfortable feelings for most people in a matter of minutes. It's a great tool for test anxiety and you can easily follow along with the video below on your own.
Helpful Books
Academic Anxiety by
This book explores academic anxiety and how it affects people both mentally and physically, examining the causes and symptoms of academic anxiety as well as strategies to overcome it. Features include a glossary, online resources, source notes, and an index. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. Essential Library is an imprint of Abdo Publishing, a division of ABDO.
Call Number: OnlineISBN: 9781532196249Publication Date: 2021-12-15
The Confident Student by
This text provides practical and immediately applicable skills and critical-thinking strategies by emphasizing self-discovery, self-management, and self-assessment. By challenging first-year students to motivate themselves and take personal responsibility for their own success, this text instills confidence by showing students they can succeed by applying themselves. A conversational writing style enhances the journey students take to becoming more successful in college and life. Now, part of the Student Achievement Series, The Confident Student, 6/e, is thoroughly redesigned with input from both students and instructors to incorporate concise, to-the-point coverage of key concepts and pedagogy that reinforces these concepts. This new structure further supports the author's intention to teach the active reading, learning, and critical thinking skills students will need in later academic courses.
Call Number: LB2395.K325 2008 (Jesup)ISBN: 9780618766437Publication Date: 2007-01-02
Emotion in Education by
This edited book examines some of the current inquiry related to the study of emotions in educational contexts. There has been a notable increased interest in educational research on emotions. Emotion in Education represents some of the most exciting and current research on emotions and education, and has the potential to impact research in this area. This combination of variety, timeliness, potential for transformation of the field, and uniqueness make this a "must-have" resource for academics in the fields of education, educational psychology, emotion psychology, cultural psychology, sociology, and teacher education. The chapters have been written for scholars in the area, but authors also wrote with graduate students in mind. Therefore, the book is also be a great volume for graduate seminars.
Call Number: OnlineISBN: 9780123725455Publication Date: 2007-03-02
Exam Stress? by
The first test-prep guide to conquering the toughest exam challenge of all-stress! Each year millions of high school and college students sit down to the make-or-break SAT or final exams. And while the content of a course may not be impossible to master, for many, the stress surrounding an exam often is. In Exam Stress? No Worries! trained psychologist Su Dorland gives frazzled students insights into the causes of exam anxiety, why some people get anxious about exams and why others don't, steps for coping with the two Ps (perfectionism and procrastination), and ways to finally free oneself from exam stress. - Includes a free CD with centering exercises, visualization techniques, and relaxation tracks - Offers advice for students mixing work or other commitments with study, as well as off-campus students, mature students, international students, or students from migrant worker families An important guide not simply for test-takers but anyone facing a stressful situation⎯such as a job interview, a driving test, or a public speaking engagement⎯Exam Stress? No Worries! offers the key to making stress manageable.
Call Number: RA 785 .D67 2009 (Jesup)ISBN: 9781742169583Publication Date: 2010-01-26
Improving Your Study Skills by
Study Smart. Study Less. Sports, extracurricular activities, your job, hangin' with friends--you have a life! You simply don't have time to spend hours studying every day! Improving Your Study Skills helps you really get cracking when you do crack the books. It helps you cram a lot of learning into a little time with tips on: Using technology to study and work more efficiently Organizing your time and space Note-taking and organization Strengthening your reading skills Choosing classes strategically Getting the typical "10% of your grade" for class participation Using the library and other resources efficiently Writing papers--from choosing the theme to proofing Studying for tests and overcoming the jitters Strategies for taking various types of tests Whether you're in high school or college--an average student, an honors student, or barely getting by--Improving Your Study Skills will help you up your grades without giving up your life. WithImproving Your Study Skills, CliffsNotes--the resource that helps millions get to and through college--now helps you study smart and study less.
Call Number: LB 1049 .O43 2005 (Waycross)ISBN: 9780764578038Publication Date: 2005-06-03
Performing Math by
Performing Math tells the history of expectations for math communication--and the conversations about math hatred and math anxiety that occurred in response. Focusing on nineteenth-century American colleges, this book analyzes foundational tools and techniques of math communication: the textbooks that supported reading aloud, the burnings that mimicked pedagogical speech, the blackboards that accompanied oral presentations, the plays that proclaimed performers' identities as math students, and the written tests that redefined "student performance." Math communication and math anxiety went hand in hand as new rules for oral communication at the blackboard inspired student revolt and as frameworks for testing student performance inspired performance anxiety. With unusual primary sources from over a dozen educational archives, Performing Math argues for a new, performance-oriented history of American math education, one that can explain contemporary math attitudes and provide a way forward to reframing the problem of math anxiety.
Call Number: OnlineISBN: 9781978820203Publication Date: 2020-11-13
Peaceful Podcasts
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