Our first exam is almost here and I'm guessing I'm not the only one out there who is experiencing some apprehension - fear - nerves. It wasn't so long ago that were were sitting in Mrs. Swanson's Study Skills class talking about ways control our stress during test time. It's time to put the practice into play, so here's a review on some tips:
- Be prepared. Long, a last minute cramming session before a test isn't always the best way to go. Take the time to get together with other students in a study group to share ideas and discuss study guides. Don't rush around before the test, come early and take a few minutes to relax. Don't get caught up in before test "chatter" with other students.
- Get a good night sleep and eat a nutritious breakfast the day of the test. Don't let your nerves tell you that you're not hungry... feed your brain!
- During the test, look for the critical words in the stem that will help guide you to what the test writer intended, and look out for those distracting answers. Be cautious of words like "all, always, never, only, sometimes ...etc" that may turn a true statement into a false one.
- If allowed, mark on your test - to eliminate wrong answers or to highlight key words or ideas.
- Have a brain freeze during the test? No worries, just move on and come back to it. You might find what you are looking for further along in the test.
- Remember that stress is natural. Vomiting before a test is not. Learn how to recognize and control your stress. Relaxation breathing (slow, deep breaths) and pleasant mental images (your happy place) should help calm you down.
So with that in mind, where is your happy place? (respond in comments)
2 comments:
My happy place:
Picture a lush green forest in Western Washington. A fire road traversing gently through the moss covered trees. Ferns spilling over onto the path. Patches of sunshine come down in rays through the branches. A small lake off in the distance. Here I come ripping down the soft dirt path on my dirtbike, twigs crunching under my tires, small branches slapping against my helmet and brush guards. All I can hear is the loud "whap whaaap whap" of my FMF pipe. The path goes on forever, no traffic, no other bikes, just me with a huge smile in my happy place.
-Christine
Thank you for the tips. Anxiety has a funny way of making you draw a blank.
My happy place is warm, sunny and sandy. I don't care which beach it is, as long as it has all of these components (and no cell phones!). It would also definitely involve my husband and children, but in my happy place, everyone would be behaving!
Trina :)
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