WHAT IF I FAIL???

One of the most common natural responses our body gives towards stressful situations is anxiety. Whether it’s giving a presentation in class in front of a big audience or skydiving for the first time, anxiety comes in all shapes and sizes; in this case, it’s taking tests. During high-pressure situations, your memory will not function the same ordinarily; stress caused by anxiety produces a hormone called cortisol, and too much cortisol can hinder the ability of the hippocampus, a region in the brain which recalls memories. However, despite what you may be feeling during the moment, anxiety could be beneficial. If you feel anxiety when taking tests, it means that what you’re doing is important; otherwise, you wouldn’t really care about the results. This leads us to one of the most effective ways to approach these tests: having the right mindset. Rather than viewing your exams as a judgment of your intelligence, treat it as a learning opportunity for you to grow. One of the most common mistakes we make is not setting realistic goals for ourselves. Instead of always going for the full score, aim to do your best. Even if you do poorly or did not get the score you wanted, use your temporary failure as fuel for your fire to do better next time.

My greatest fear is...

The root of your anxiety when it comes to test-taking is split into “The Three Big Fears”: the Fear of Repeating Past Failures, the Fear of the Unknown, and the Fear of the Stakes.

The first “big fear” is the “fear of repeating past failures”. It has been proven that humans have an inherent negativity bias: a tendency to remember negative events rather than positive events. To beat this negativity bias, analyze your past mistakes and gather as much information about them as possible. Start by getting a copy of your past exams and reviewing your mistakes; understand why you got it wrong and how you could fix it. Also, think about why you got it wrong in the first place (maybe you ran out of time or rushed through and made careless mistakes).

The next “big fear” is the “fear of the unknown”. We, as people, naturally fear what we don't understand, something that is wired inside us from the beginning of time. To beat this fear, try to replicate the testing conditions while studying (get access to practice tests, study guides, and even create quizzes out of your notes). This is why practice tests are so effective when it comes to being prepared for the actual exam: you’re already familiar with the test and so “the fear of the unknown” won’t arise

The last “big fear” is the fear of the stakes. Most of the time, many of us feel as if this test might mean everything when in reality it rarely does. Oftentimes, even if you fail, there is still the opportunity for you to recover from it. While I’m not saying you shouldn’t care about the test at all, it should be understood that it won’t make too extreme of an impact on your life. As mentioned at the beginning, this one test should be treated as a learning opportunity and not a “life/death” scenario.

TIPS&TRICKS!

Although tests are different across all subjects, here are some general tips and tricks to keep in mind when taking them. Whether they are multiple-choice or short-response questions, by following these techniques, you can greatly increase your final score. To start, before you even try to answer the first question, skim through the whole test and answer any questions you know for sure are correct. By doing so, you prime your brain for those questions which you will face later on. Not only is this quick, but also it makes the test much less intimidating since there is no “fear of the unknown”. The next technique is called “Hard Start”, and basically what you do is try to answer a difficult problem and spend some time thinking about it. If you cannot get the answer to it, you move on(usually 2 minutes maximum). This allows your brain to switch into focus mode and while you're solving other problems, your subconscious is working on that hard question in the background.

Has it ever happened to you when you’re answering a question, and the solution is on the top of your tongue? Well, don’t fret over it too much because there is a way to remember what it was. All you have to do is just try to envision yourself in the room where you learned it. This activates your “context-dependent memory” and allows you to actively recall a certain moment in the past using the environment around you as a way to trigger it. We all use this “context-dependent memory” whenever we lose an item like a notebook or folder in school. The first thing we do is remembering where the last place you had it and then the exact spot where you sat.

For all exams, you should always reread the question and break it down into simpler terms. This makes it easier for your brain to handle it, especially if it’s complex. After you finish all the questions on the test and there are still a few minutes to spare, always double-check your answer. As a last resort, if your exam has True/False or “all the above” questions and you don’t know the answer to them, it will most likely be True and “all the above above”, respectively. However, you should still try to answer it and save this method as a last resort option. Lastly, if you’re having a panic attack in the middle of the test, always try to focus breathing in and out (20 seconds should be enough for you to regain your composure) and relax your tongue.

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