Mastering Exam Anxiety

by Ken Dickson, AU Counsellor

AU students can take our Online Anxiety Assessment.

In This Section
1.
What is exam anxiety?
2.
Do I have exam anxiety?
3.
How do I reduce exam anxiety?

1. What is exam anxiety

Exam anxiety is

excessive worry about upcoming exams.

fear of being evaluated.

apprehension about the consequences.

experienced by many normal students.

not mysterious or difficult to understand.

manageable by following a plan of helpful suggestions.

There are four main areas which can contribute to your exam anxiety:

lifestyle issues,

information needs,

studying styles,

psychological Factors .

Lifestyle issues that can contribute to exam anxiety are

inadequate rest,

poor nutrition,

too many stimulants,

insufficient exercise,

not scheduling available time,

not prioritizing commitments.

Information needs that can contribute to exam anxiety are

exam-taking strategies,

academic information such as course requirements, teachers' expectations, exam dates and
testing location,

knowledge of how to apply anxiety reduction techniques

o

while studying

before an exam

during an exam

studying styles that are

Inefficient

o
o

inconsistent content coverage

trying to memorize the textbook

binge studying

distance environment

all-night studying before exams

Ineffective

o
o

reading without understanding

can't recall the material

not making review notes

not reviewing

not studying

Psychological Factors

feeling no control over the exam situation (rather than knowing and applying exam
strategies),

negative thinking and self-criticism (rather than being one's own best friend),

irrational thinking about exams and outcomes,

o

Irrational beliefs "If I don't pass my (parents/partner/boss) will kill me!"

Irrational demands "I have to get 100% or I am worthless."

Catastrophic predictions "I'll fail no matter what I do."

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2. Do I have exam anxiety

Many students experience some pre-exam jitters. Mild nervousness can motivate you to do your best.
However, exam anxiety is different from typical nervousness:

It is more intense.

It is more potentially overwhelming.

It is more disruptive and disturbing.

It is not helpful or motivating.

How can exam anxiety affect me?

disturb my studying and exam preparation

paralyze my decision-making

make my mind go blank on an exam

undermine my academic confidence

prevent me from showing how much I know

Exam anxiety affects different students in different ways:

Physical symptoms
o

tight muscles

headache

insomnia

upset stomach

appetite changes
o

unable to eat

constant snacking

binge eating

shortness of breath

increased perspiration

sweaty palms

increased heart rate

dry mouth

diarrhea

more frequent urination

Behavioural changes
o

tense movements

losing focus of actions

less coordinated movements

fidgeting, nail biting

moving or walking faster than normal

increased smoking, drinking, and/or eating

"escaping" behaviours, e.g. partying the night before an exam

Emotionally
o

atypical mood swings

emotions related to the examination, presentation or paper

o

worry

frustration

fear

anger

discouragement

depression

panic

hopelessness
Cognitively

scattered attention

irrational thoughts

difficulty concentrating

negative, self-defeating thoughts

task-disruptive daydreaming

self-abusing thoughts

Socially
o

social withdrawal

avoidance of friends and family

unusual irritability with others

procrastination through increased socializing

How might exam anxiety affect my studying?

disorganized time management

poor study habits

procrastination on papers, presentations and studying

obsession with fearful thoughts about the consequences of failing

unable to concentrate on reading and understanding study material

How might exam anxiety affect my exams?

can't focus or organize thoughts

poor recall of important concepts, keywords, acronyms

can't understand exam questions

going blank on familiar questions

poor scores on known material

correct recall after the exam

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3. How do I reduce exam anxiety

We have identified eight steps to reducing exam anxiety

1.

Effective studying

2.

Healthy lifestyle

3.

Accurate information

4.

Exam-taking preparation

5.

Attitude upgrading

6.

Rational (instead of irrational) thinking

7.

Test-taking strategies

8.

Anxiety reduction techniques

1. Effective studying

Don't cram the night before the exam: (too much material) + (too little time) = ANXIETY

Plan your studying

with regularly scheduled study sessions about 50 minutes long separated by 5-10

minute breaks.
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2. Healthy lifestyle

Anxiety increases when one feels run down and overwhelmed.

Overall resilience depends on one's physical and mental health, which can be strengthened by:
o

enough movement and exercise

balanced life (vs. over-stress)

positive thoughts/beliefs (vs. self-defeating thoughts/cynicism)

movement and exercise (vs. couch potato lifestyle)

health focus (vs. self-neglect)

replenishing nutrition (vs. junk food)

regular sleeps (vs. late night lifestyle)

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3. Accurate information

Check the course materials package when it arrives to make sure all books, guides, etc. are
included.

Read the course outline.

Look at the Study Schedule for suggested timelines for completing the course.

Understand the instructor's grading procedure and if you don't understand, ASK!
o

Check the course syllabus on AU's web site.

Well before the exam, make sure you know

o

where will the exam be held,

what time does it start,

how long will it last,

will extra time be allowed.

Ask the tutor/instructor

o

is it an open-book exam or not?

when will the marks be available?

what materials can/should be brought to the exam?

o

Calculators (graphing or not)

Geometry sets

Textbooks, dictionaries, etc.

Notes

Tape recorder

Other

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4. Exam-taking preparation

Practice on sample tests in the textbook or study guide.

Ask for suggestions from your tutor/instructor:

o

What to expect on the exam.

What course materials should be emphasized.

How to prioritize study time for this course.

Do
o

Plan to rest well the night before the exam

Plan to arrive at the test location early to pick the seat of your choice; away from
doors, windows and other distractions.
Plan to monitor the time during the exam so wear a watch or sit where you can see

the clock.

Avoid
o

Drinking coffee the night before the exam

Drinking coffee during the day of the exam

Anxious or talkative students

Other people or things that may disturb your self-confidence, focus and relaxation

Plan
Check out the testing room before the day of the exam

o
o

Where is it located?

How much time does it take to get there?

Where do you want to sit?

Is there a clock?

What is the room temperature?

Control
Wear layers of clothing so you can adjust your need for more warmth or coolness

o
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5. Attitude upgrading

Plan to reward yourself for your hard work

After the exam do something you enjoy that makes you feel special:
o

take a relaxing walk.

have coffee with a friend.

Buy yourself a present.

Exercise.

have dinner at a favorite restaurant.

take a luxury bath with music, candles and a favorite book.

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6. Rational (instead of irrational) thinking

Exam anxiety has two key parts:

Thoughts

o
o

Negative

Irrational

Intrusive

Persistent
Feelings

Fearful (of evaluation situations)

Apprehensive (of negative outcomes)

Tense (muscles readying for self-protection)

Autonomic arousal (stress response)

Exam-anxious thoughts and feelings are:

A closed loop

Mutually influencing and strengthening

Reduce exam anxiety by INTERRUPTING

o

thought negativity

thought irrationality

thought intrusiveness

thought repetition

feeling tense

feeling fearful

feeling apprehensive

feeling distressed

Section 8: Anxiety Reduction Techniques will help you reduce these exam-anxious feelings.

Negative thoughts arise from negative beliefs in your ability to be successful

This is a habit of thinking; a self-defeating habit

Beliefs and their thoughts are not reality

You can actively change your negative thoughts to positive ones

Interrupt negative thoughts with THOUGHT REPLACEMENT

o

Plan to replace negative thoughts with positive ones

Practice THOUGHT REPLACEMENT frequently to build new thought habits and new
beliefs about yourself
o

While studying

Before, during and after the exam

Anytime you notice negative, self-defeating thoughts.

Interrupt negative thinking with THOUGHT REPLACEMENT:

Examples

I can do this!

I will do my best!

I can pass this test!

I will focus only on the question in front of me.

Irrational thoughts arise from

o

Linking one's self-worth to the test outcome

Catastrophicising the consequences of anticipated failure

Repeating and strengthening the irrational belief before, during and after the exam.

Some Irrational themes

o

Rigid insistence "I must pass this exam or my life won't be worth living."

Faulty logic "If I fail this exam then I am a failure as a person."

Perfectionism "If I make a mistake on this exam then I am a worthless person."

Acceptance by others "My parents will approve of me only if I pass this exam."

Self-judegement "I can't think of this answer immediately and that just shows how
worthless a student I am."

Comparisons "Others are probably finding this exam easy. Everyone is better than I
am and that is awful."

Anticipation "If I get nervous at all I just know I will go blank and totally fail this

o
exam."

Interrupt irrational thinking by actively challenging your irrational thoughts.

o

Life will always be worth living regardless of this exam.

The test score is about this exam, not about me as a person.

I would like to pass this exam but life will go on either way.

How others do on this exam is irrelevant to me as a student and as a person.

As long as I give my best effort it doesn't matter if my exam score is less than perfect.

Even if I am nervous I will do my very best.

What others think of me is none of my business.

Whatever my test score, I intend to learn from my mistakes and do better next time.

I respect myself for taking this course, regardless of the outcome.

I would like a perfect score but I'll be OK with a pass.

I would prefer a pass to a fail but I will continue on regardless of my score.

It would be nice to have no anxiety, but I will put forth my best effort even if I am
nervous.

Intrusive thoughts often arise because of anxiety

Intrusive thoughts distract from task focus

Like an anxious child demanding attention, they need soothing.

Interrupt intrusive thoughts with these six techniques

Re-focus your attention: Deliberately and strongly re-focus your attention away from

the inner thought back to the external exam task in front of you.
Reassuring the thought: Affirm strongly that you will be fine or assert that you will

take care of things.

Attending to the thought: Focus your attention on the thought as though listening to a

person speaking but allow no response and notice how the thought fades away in the light of your
conscious focus.
Practicing "Thought-Stopping": Before the exam (if you are alone), say or shout

"STOP!" at the thought and intend for it to go away. Otherwise, shout "STOP!" internally to
yourself.
Visualization: Visualize a bubble around the thought and then shrink the bubble as

small as you can. With your breath, imagine blowing the bubble into the furthest end of the
universe. See and feel it disappearing and then re-focus externally on the exam task in front of
you.
o

Deliberate distraction: Distract your attention from the thought by practicing the brief
relaxation and breathing techniques in Section 8.

2.

Persistent, repetitive thoughts often depend on anxious tensions. Interrupt persistent examanxious thoughts by:

Thought-Stopping

o
o

Be equally persistent in rejecting the worrisome thought.

Keep returning your attention to the task of the exam.

Visualization

Visualize the "bucket" of the thought emptying itself into the "bucket" of the

o
exam.

Redirect your attention back to the task of the exam.

Breathing and relaxation

o
o

Practice the brief exercises from Section 8.

Re-focus attention back to the exam.

Focusing on writing the exam and ignoring the thoughts

Never giving up
Be as persistent as the distracting thoughts you are trying to eliminate

o
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7. Test-taking strategies

Survey
o

Read the instructions

Quickly survey every page of the test

See what will be expected of you

Re-read the instructions a second time

Priorize
o

When surveying the test, place a mark beside all questions you know you can answer

Answer the easiest questions first to guarantee marks in the least amount of time

Pace
o

Do not rush through the test

Regularly check time left for the rest of the questions

Pace yourself

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8. Anxiety reduction techniques

Practice interrupting exam-anxious feelings

o

Reducing exam anxiety is a learned skill

Daily practice can lead to mastery

The more often you practice, the more responsive your body-mind will become

The more often you practice, the more likely you will remember to use them in the
exam

Use it!
o

Use your study sessions to practice the techniques

Use the techniques just prior to the exam

Deliberately take short time-out breaks during the exam and use the techniques to
reduce your stress

Apply the techniques just after the exam is over

Use the techniques before you go to sleep, especially the night before the exam

Techniques
Take a deep breath

o
o

Take a deep breath and hold it for three seconds.

Exhale audibly all at once and let your head, jaw and shoulders drop

Breathe easy 'into' your neck, jaw and shoulders and breathe again into the
relaxed state
Repeat cycle once or twice.

Total tension release - tense your whole body one part at a time

o
o

Lift your toes and tense both calves

Tense your thighs and buttocks

Tighten your abdomen

Tense your chest and back

Tighten your arms and clench your fists

Tense your neck and clench your jaw

Tightly close your eyes

Take a deep breath and hold it for five seconds

Let it go at once

Notice the tension leaving your body

Focus on your feet and legs

o
o

Imagine them becoming warmer and warmer

Imagine them becoming heavier and heavier

Imagine them becoming warmer

Imagine them becoming heavier

Continue focusing on your feet and legs

Imagine the tension in the rest of your body flowing downward into your feet
and legs making them heavier and warmer.
Emphasize exhalation in your breathing

Breathe your tensions away

Focus on your feet and legs

o
o

Draw all tensions into your breath

Exhale through your mouth

Expel those tensions away from your body

Focus on your abdomen

Repeat the cycle

Focus on your chest and back

Repeat the cycle

Focus on your arms and hands

Repeat the cycle

Focus on your shoulders, neck, jaw and face

Repeat the cycle

Focus on your total body tension

Repeat the cycle

Relaxation sanctuary

o
o

Focus on the inner screen of your mind's eye

Imagine your ideal safe, relaxing place

In your mind, send yourself there for 15 to 30 seconds

Breath easily and enjoy the relaxation

Close your eyes

Go there anytime you need a quick relaxing break

Mindfulness of breathing

o
o

Focus on the tip of your nostrils

Notice the air only at that point. Cool going in and warm going out.

Notice the sensation of the contact of air against your skin

Notice if your breath is fast or slow; deep or shallow; rough or smooth and
easy.
Smile!

o
o

Really feel that smile spread throughout your body

Take a deep breath and exhale through your mouth