Your preparation for the test should include learning what the test covers and study areas you don’t know very well. It should also include using strategies for reducing test anxiety as part of your studying.

Sign of test anxiety in your head may include:

• Mental blank-out Racing thoughts
• Difficulty concentrating
• Negative thoughts
• Knowing the answers after the test, but not while taking the test

1. Pinpoint the self-defeating thoughts, especially thoughts that blow things out of proportion.
2. Replace these self-defeating thoughts with helpful thoughts.
3. Imagine yourself in the testing situation and practice thinking the helpful thoughts.
4. Reward yourself for thinking the helpful thoughts. For example, say to yourself “That’s much better. Now I can get back to the test,” or say, “See, I don’t have to be victimized by self-defeating thoughts. I can take charge of my thoughts.” After the test, think something like, “I did it! The test is finished and I feel much better than I felt before. I didn’t let self-defeating thoughts distract me, and I may have gotten a better grade as well.”

One of the physical aspects of anxiety is muscle tension. Relaxing your muscles during a test can also lower test anxiety. One popular method of relaxing muscles is progressive relaxation. There is no time to teach yourself progressive relaxation during a test. Instead, you can practice progressive relaxation during leisure periods. Then you can allow feelings of relaxation to flow into your body during tests and on other stressful occasions.

1. Breathe only through your nose.
2. Take equal amounts of time to breathe in and out.
3. Inhale and exhale continuously and leisurely. For example, count “one thousand one, one thousand two, one thousand three,” and so on as you inhale and exhale.
4. To breathe diaphragmatically while sitting in a chair, monitor your chest with a hand to help you deter it from rising and falling. Monitor your abdomen with the other hand to check that it’s rising and falling. When your breathing is calm and regular, return to the test.

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