Exam Anxiety-From Panic to Passing Tomorrow’s Exam

 By  Don Penven

Exam Anxiety-From Panic to Passing Tomorrow’s Exam

Studies conducted by numerous institutions of higher learning indicate that an overwhelming number of students suffer some form of exam anxiety.

And it is no wonder! The amount of time spent in preparation for exams stretches toward two extremes:

• Waiting until the last minute, and then cramming
• Never quite learning the skills needed to prepare ones’ self for the inevitable exams

Among many students, the last thing they are concerned about as each new semester begins is passing exams. They tend to begin each semester full of hope and resolve. They feel confident that they’ll grasp all of the information given to them during classes and lectures. But as time passes, many students slowly begin to lose that resolve.

Instead…self-doubt begins to erode their good intentions.
It’s not your fault! Human nature tends to convince students that the best way to pass an exam is to wait until it’s almost upon them. This is when exam anxiety begins to build. If you find yourself in this leaking boat, here are some tips to ease the pressure before it becomes too much of a distraction.

Here are 5 tips to get you started:
1. Review all of your notes. (You do take notes, don’t you?) If you don’t have complete notes, see if a classmate will loan you his/hers. Begin by writing down a list of all the points you think will be listed in the exam, while keeping in mind that NOT EVERYTHING will be included. Do not waste time studying the points you know—concentrate on the points you do not know or do not fully understand.
2. Using a scale of 1 – 5, give weights to the subjects you need to concentrate upon—1 being a topic needing the least amount of study.
3. Decide how much time you will need to thoroughly cover the weak topics, even if this means skipping that part-time job or even classes. Studying for an exam is a fulltime pursuit so use every available minute for study. We learn most through our visual senses but the second best means of memory retention comes from audible input. So make your own voice recordings. Most computers have a built in audio recorder. If not—download Audacity at:  http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
4. If the exam is just a heartbeat away, plan on doing nothing else but studying. There are l websites offering a wealth of How-To-Study tips but you won’t have time to review them all. You see, the idea is to begin preparing for an exam several days out from it. But if that luxury isn’t available, then get to work immediately.
5. Memorize those topics you think are vital as close to the exam as possible. When it comes to memory, each individual will possess different degrees of ability to retain the information. If any last minute cramming is to be done, do it a close to the exam time as possible.

A Word About Cramming
Many educators agree that cramming should be a last resort simply because its effectiveness is limited and only provides minimal retention. But if the exam is tomorrow, you have little choice but to dive in.

The Last Minute Crunch
In several of the posts on this website, I offer time-tested and proven study techniques that have benefitted thousands of students just like you. But when there is simply very limited time to learn the way to study, I suggest you put the 5 tips given above to work for you.

The idea here is to get through the exam and pass it. But in the future, I hope you will visit my website and read over the offerings that are helping so many students hoping to get better grades. 


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7 Study Tips to Higher Grades

Getting higher grades is what studying is all about

By Don Penven

1. Setting up shop. The place to study is important to the outcome. Many students prefer the library for its low-key atmosphere and the quick availability of reference material. But others prefer working at home or in the dorm room. Regardless of the setting, you should be in control of the environment. Room temperature ia a factor. Ideally the space should be temperate, that is around 70 degrees F. Be certain that you have adequate lighting too. Some require a little background music- That’s OK, just keep it conducive to good concentration on your studies and not distracting.

2. Keep it short. Many educators recommend that studying in short burst is a much more productive way to retain the subject matter. Work for 10 to 15 minutes, and then take a break. Pick up the books and begin again. This distributed learning process is very efficient since it accounts for the way that the brain likes to work. Isolating yourself for hours on end with your nose in a book is not just very boring, it causes fatigue and increases stress. You will not learn much when you are tired, stressed and distracted.
3. Pay attention to your emotional state. If you are uptight or stressed, studying under those conditions will be counter-productive. In order for the brain to take on the characteristics of a sponge, you must set aside any anger and frustration. If you are tired—take a quick nap. If you are in a hurry, slow down. Forcing yourself to sit and study when your mind is miles away is a total waste of time!
4. Adopt a study routine by advanced planning. Establishing a study routine requires discipline. If you schedule a certain time duringf the day to study, you’ll geslip into a routine and get more accomplished. If you just “fit it in” during your day, chances are that there will never be any real time. An effective way to do this is to literally mark it down in your day planner calendar like you have an appointment, like going to the doctor. For example: “Wednesday 7-9:30 P.M. — Study Ancient History.”
5. Be astudy goal-setter. A prime reason many people don’t reach their goals is because they are set too high. By setting goals that are manageable, even if they seem too simple, you will develop the mindset leading to developing a habit of accomplishing them and gradually you can set higher goals. It is also important for you to recognize the difference between long-term and short-term goals. Set your vision on a long-term dream, but your day-to-day activity should be focused exclusively on the short-term, enabling short but deliberate steps.
6. Review the same day. When you learn new material, go over these points the same day. If you wait a few days and then make efforts to review this material, it will seem much less familiar. A quick review later in the day will tend to cement the information into your brain so that the next “official” study session, you will recognize it and it will seem easy.
7. “Stuff” Happens—especially “Brain Fade.” It is normal for the brain to have an attrition rate and to forget “stuff.” This does not mean that you are a Dunce! Instead of getting frustrated about this, you should prepare yourself to expect it and deal with it as best you can. See your brain as depositing layers of knowledge. As you place more information on top, the lower levels become buried and less available to your immediate summons. The trick here is to simply review. Since you can anticipate the eventual fading of your memory, creating a review aspect to our study session will solve the problem. Once every two or three study sessions, simply review the older material that you will still need to recall. Often, a quick overview is sufficient. Sometimes, a complete detailed study session of the older material is appropriate. “Brain fade” is completely normal, unless you are gifted with a photographic memory, which is extremely rare.

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