By SARAH ANDREW ILIYA
You know those jitters, the heart palpitations and the questions of ‘have I read enough?’ spiraling with other jumbled thoughts that most students have before a test or an examination? That is what a test/exams anxiety is. Test/exams anxiety is a performance anxiety. Students who experience this undergo pressure when performance counts. They become so anxious that they are actually unable to do their best. This is a slam in the face to most students who have ‘burned the midnight candle’ for a test or an examination. After reading so hard and just like that everything you’ve read is snatched by the fear of failure.
You would think that being afraid to fail should probably help you do better. But in most cases it doesn’t. Although, there are students who struggle with test anxiety but are still able to do well. Sometimes, a bit of nervousness can make a student alert and ready to take on the challenges in an exam. A lot of students in the University of jos can relate to test anxiety. Some even say that it is terrifying because you worked so hard and then when you finally take a seat in the examination hall and see a question you know you read for; all the answers in your memory disappear. If you are lucky the answers will find their way back into your memory. Worst-case scenario is when you remember the answers after the examination. Excessive fear can make it difficult for students to concentrate and recall things that they have read.
So, what then causes text/exam anxiety? And if you’re struggling, how can you overcome it?
First off, Test/exam anxiety can be caused by Negative past experiences of exams. It is also a fact that there are students who have probably never failed an examination but still have test anxiety. But for those who have had negative past experiences, it is a constant fear of experiencing failure.
Lack of adequate preparation or study methods is another cause of test/exams anxiety. There are students who didn’t prepare enough or students who didn’t study at all. This is when the fear of not studying enough floods the students’ minds.
Unhelpful thinking about the exam situation, e.g “What if the exam questions will be too hard?” “I don’t know if I can do this.” “What if I fail and have a carry over.” Negative thought patterns is another cause of anxiety. Negative thought inherently creep in when you have anxiety.
Excessive pressure to achieve and/or perfectionism. There are students who experience excessive pressure from their parents or even themselves to achieve or pass their exams. This pressure is usually driven by the fear of failure. Some students have parents who pressure them to pass no matter what. Of course no parent wants to see his or her child fail. No one wants to fail in general. But this pressure usually comes when there is no trust. For example a student may pressurize his or herself because they don’t trust that they would do well. And this pressure is as a result of the ultimate cause of test/exams anxiety, Fear of failure.
The Strong fear of failure is the root of every other cause. This is a fear that people who don’t even have test anxiety experience. But some people are able to encourage themselves and beat fear of failure.
Poor self-care, including insufficient sleep, unhealthy eating, lack of exercise or relaxation.
Taking some time to understand and identify what is contributing to your text/examination anxiety can help you develop an effective plan to tackle it.
So, how do you deal with test anxiety? Here are some effective ways to conquer it.
First prepare as best you can.
This means preparing for the exam early enough, and using effective study techniques that can help you learn, understand, and remember information. Being well-prepared goes a long way to help you feel confident about your study materials, which can ultimately keep stress in check.
Reframe your thoughts, it is said that as a man thinks so is he. Basically your thoughts manifest who you are. So, when negative thoughts invade your mind make an intentional decision to contradict those thoughts. If your mind tells you that you will fail, tell yourself that you can do it. This is a constant effort that should be done
When planning your study schedule, prioritise self-care – this means allocating time for things like healthy meals, good sleep, exercise, social, and relaxing activities. You can plan your study tasks around these.
Learn to manage the physical symptoms of anxiety. It’s important to know that the physical symptoms we experience in anxiety are unpleasant but not dangerous. You can learn and practise relaxation techniques like belly breathing or basically breathing in and out to calm your body or relieve tension.
If you are struggling with test/exams anxiety, know that you are not alone and believe that you have the power to tackle it. It is also a good idea to constantly practise these when you’re not feeling overwhelmed or anxious, so that the strategies can feel more natural and easier to apply during more intense times (like when you’re sitting in an exam hall). And above all train your mind to think positively.
