Top 3 Ways to Beat Test Anxiety

So today is the big test day. Your guts are in a knot, your palms are sweaty, and you’re remembering back to Mrs. Smith who always seemed to be eyeballing you during exams in high school. Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Like hundreds of people before you, you have been struck by test anxiety; a ruthless affliction that has hampered success and careers for thousands of years. However, you don’t have to fall victim to this terrible state. You can rise above and beat it. So here are the Top 3 Ways to Beat Test Anxiety.
• Get a Good Night’s Sleep- Certainly you are going to be worried about tomorrow and are probably planning a little last minute cramming, but don’t let that keep you up. When we sleep, the body is allowed to move information from short term storage to long term. This cements the info into our minds and makes it easier to recall later on…like during a test. It’s also during deep sleep that the body can clean toxins of the day from the cranium as well as replenish neurotransmitters to neurons. This allows the neurons to fire faster and easier the next day…like during a test.
• Forget the Big Breakfast- It may seem like having a large meal will give you lots of energy when you are going to need it the most, but quite the opposite is true. Digestion takes energy and if you scarf down 5 eggs, 10 pancakes, and half a pound of bacon before taking your test, your body will be more focused on getting all that chow absorbed with very little left over for thinking. Instead, eat some diced fruit for simple sugars, take a quick walk to get the blood pumping, and sip a small glass of water before you leave.
• Forget about the other testers- Everyone reads, remembers, and comprehends at different rates; some faster or slower than others. The more energy and brain-power you spend worrying about your neighbors, the less you’ll have to concentrate on the test. After all, at the end of the day, you aren’t focused on speeding through the test, but passing it. Period. As your old teachers used to say, “Concentrate on your own work.”
If you keep these simple steps in mind, test anxiety will be no more than a bad memory and you’ll zip through any quiz without needing an anti-acid or valium. Remember that you have plenty of time and, if you have studied well, you’ll be fine. Good Luck!