We all feel some trepidation when we’re about to take an exam. It’s a natural sensation because it’s hard to surmise if we’ve memorized all the information we need until we see our score. But, there are some people who feel more than just trepidation. They actually feel pure fear, and this condition prevents them from doing well on any test.
If you’re one of these people, don’t despair. There are effective ways to combat your anxiety over exams.
Use practice exams
One of the reasons people dread taking an exam is they’re not sure if they’ve learned all the things they need to learn for the test. You can fix this by simply answering a practice test because you’ll see your mistakes right away.
If you’re studying for a Network+ CompTIA exam, for example, you can use an A+ practice test to see if you know all the details you need to know or if you still need to review some more. It’s an effective way to gauge how much you know about your upcoming exam. And if you see that your test score in the practice test is high, then you’ll be more confident about your chances with the real test.
Get lots of sleep
Not getting enough sleep can exacerbate your condition and increase your anxiety towards your exam. So, it’s important that you get enough sleep every night, which means that cramming is not an option.
If cramming is not an option, then you need to start reviewing as early as possible so that you can cover a lot of stuff for your exam. If you’re taking an exam on November 16, for example, you should start studying for it on November 2. You should allot at least two weeks of studying so that you won’t feel pressured when you get closer to the exam date.
Eat right and exercise daily
If you want to retain as much information as you want when you’re reviewing, you need to make sure that your body is in peak condition. Think of your body as a car: if you don’t put in high-quality fuel and make sure that the engine is running smoothly, your car will definitely break down if you drive across the country.
If you don’t take care of your body by eating nutritious foods and exercising daily, you won’t be able to study well and do well on your exam. Be mindful of what you eat and try to jog every morning before you start studying.
Study in short bursts
Science has shown that our attention span is so short that if we try to study a subject longer than an hour, we won’t be able to retain anything. To get the most out of your studying, make sure to limit it to 30 minutes and rest for the next half hour.
And since you’ll be limiting your study time to 30 minutes, you need to allot more days to studying if you need to cover lots of areas. It's better if you start reviewing as early as possible because you’ll have enough time to study all the things that you need for your test.
Exam anxiety often occurs because we’re unsure of our capabilities to understand and memorize all the details we need for our test. But, if you make the necessary adjustments and changes to optimize your studying, you’ll be more confident about your chances on your exam and eliminate your exam anxiety.
