How to Overcome Quiz & Exam Anxiety

Being nervous about an upcoming exam is something that happens to everyone, but for some, that nervousness goes to a new level. For some, the feelings of worry and self-doubt can become overwhelming. Sometimes those feelings of overwhelming can even lead a depression as they severely impact a person’s mental health.

This type of text anxiety often starts to pop up either in high school or in the first two years of college. This is because these are times when students who may have been naturally smart or gifted find themselves challenged with materials that do not come naturally to them. So if you find yourself in the coming days, weeks, or months feeling crippled with test anxiety, you aren’t alone! And there are things you can do to reduce those plaguing feelings. Take a look at the following guide to how to overcome your quiz and exam anxiety:

How to Overcome Quiz

Study Things Not Included in the Study Guide

Study guides are great for definitions and pointing out the big ideas. However, there is an important reason for why study guides are not textbooks. Your textbooks and other reading or source material are designed to take complicated things and break them down by processes and with a thorough explanation. This is true for every subject you study.

For example, in history, yes, you can say first there was a and because of that b and c happened. But why was there a? Your study guide might only tell you the first sentence but you might feel confused because you aren’t picking up on the answer the latter question. Similarly, in math and science the basic formulas are sure to be on a study guide but explaining why those formulas work and in what context takes longer reading material.

Because anxiety frequently comes from a lack of confidence, the more you understand the material, the less likely you are to feel that anxiety. Going back over these source materials can help you make critical connections that will really come in the clutch the day of the big exam.

Create a Positive Study Group & Spend Time Teaching Material

One of the worst things a person can do for anxiety is to keep it to themselves. Especially when your anxiety is related to self-confidence, such as it often is with exam anxiety. Not talking about anxious feelings makes anxiety worse because it traps a person in the cycle of thinking the problem is only with themselves. When really, many others share the same worries and uncertainties about schoolwork and keeping a good school-life balance.

Thus, the best way to counter these feelings is to be open about them. Start or join a study group and endeavor to take a leading role. The more you assist and even take on teaching positions, showing another person how a problem is solved. Waling someone else step-by-step helps improve your own understanding of the material as now you are forced to explain why something works or why something happened. This more thorough understanding of the material will give you confidence and will help ease test anxiety. Why? Because now you more thoroughly understand the course material.

Remember, that the key to a working study group is to be around positive people. Avoid doomers and avoid being a doomer yourself as this can result in anxiety increases and not decreases.

Wake Early & Arrive to Class Early

Waking up late or otherwise putting yourself in a position where you have to rush to class will only increase your anxiety. Likewise, you should avoid spending the night before an exam trying to cram for it — you should have already used the aforementioned tips to prepare in the weeks and days before.

Instead, dedicate part of the night to review but the greater part to mental preparation. Pack up everything you need for the class. Go through it three times to make sure you have everything. Put your phone, keys, and wallet somewhere visible to grab. If you make breakfast or lunches at home, prepare the ingredients that night. Have everything ready for you to just get up and go. Finally, go to bed early to further help you wake up refreshed and ready.

Take a Breath, Relax, & Remeber The Junction has Dedicated Study Spots

Here at Junction Cottages & Townhomes, we endeavor to be more than just an apartment you go home to. We strive to make ours a community-oriented space and a space in which students can thrive. In terms of studies, we have created a quiet Business Center complete with WiFi, a printer, and a conference area for your group study sessions. We also have a 24-Hour Clubhouse which includes a grand study hall for those who study best in busier locations.

To learn more about these amenities and more, contact our front desk team today.