Eric Galdamez

4/5/2019
Project 3
Health 044

Test Anxiety

To Begin, What Katya is experiencing is something many students experience. She is on

a scholarship and has a 3.0 which tells us she is a good student. She has been studying which

also tells us she probably knows the material. She is obviously nervous and worried because

this test is going to determine whether or not she passes the class and keeps her scholarship.

And for her to have a panic attack while studying because she is so nervous about the test is

obviously not going to bring out the best in her once test time comes around.

Just knowing that this test is going to determine whether Katya keeps her scholarships

and passes her Chemistry class is the exact problem with high stakes testing. For all we know,

Katya is probably passing her class with an A before the final, but this test is so heavily weighted

that she could lose it all if she doesn’t pass. Is that really telling us that Katya doesn’t know and

understand the material? Absolutely not! “Leading up to and during exams, people with test

anxiety "worry that they don't have the skills and knowledge to meet the demands of the test,"

Jamieson said. They will feel this anxiety no matter how much time they've spent studying, how

high their grades are or how smart they are, he said” (White, M. 2015) This here is telling us

how much of a negative impact high test anxiety can have on people. They begin to feel

pessimistic and believe they cannot pass the test. Which in the end leads to them to fail the

test.
 Growing up I use to hate taking long tests. I remember trying really hard for a while and

once I’m tired and check I’m barely half way through the test. I remember asking if this test

would count against my grade and they would say no but it can help it. At that point I would

just give up and just click random answers. Once I got to college I had to take these long heavy

weighted tests. I remember my first test in college I got a D. But that was because I didn’t

prepare for it. I studied hard the next time around and got an A. I ended up graduating with a

3.75 gpa.

It wasn’t until a year after graduation that I realized I have test anxiety. I am currently a

teacher on an intern credential. I have about a month left before I complete my preliminary

credential. There is just one thing holding me back, The Reading Instruction Competence

Assessment. The RICA is a test all elementary teachers need to pass before receiving the

credential. The problem is I am not an elementary teacher nor one that teaches reading. In

college I was a liberal studies major with a focus in math. My credential is a special education

credential for mild to moderate students with a focus in math. I am not credentialed to teach in

an elementary school but since I am in the Special Education field I have to pass the RICA. I have

taken it twice now once in January and just now in March. The first time I got a score of 211 and

needed 220 to pass. This second time around I got a 218. I missed it by 2 points! I was very

confident the first time around and when I realized I didn’t pass it really brought me down. I

followed all the guidelines answered all the questions and didn’t pass. I studied mightily and

still didn’t pass this time around and it was because I was anxious. Halfway through the test I

felt my brain just shut down. I had never felt like this before. I wasn’t able to process the

questions and had a difficult time focusing. All I could think about was failing this test and all
the schooling I’ve done up to this point is for nothing. I won’t receive my credential until I pass

this test. It really brought me down. I am now focused on controlling my anxiety next time I

take this test in May. I know I can pass I just have to continue to study and take many practice

tests to better prepare myself.

At this point I don’t have the answer to deal with test anxiety because I myself am

dealing with it. “Some doctors prescribe drugs known as beta blockers to reduce the physical

manifestations of anxiety. The theory is that if people don't feel anxiety they will be less

distracted and perform better. Dr. Richard Discoll, who specializes in treating test anxiety,

favors this approach.” (White, M. 2015) But I wouldn’t recommend taking any medication to

help with the anxiety. Just the fact that you are taking drugs to deal with something means

you’ll become dependent on it and will never have the feeling of success naturally. I would

recommend students to communicate their test anxiety to professors and maybe ask for an

alternate form of assessment to demonstrate what they’ve learned in class. I would also tell

them to possibly ask the professor for extra credit opportunities.

Lastly, if I was in Katya’s situation I would seek medical help just yet. I would

communicate my anxiety with the professor and let them know my situation. Many professors

have gone through the same thing to get to where they are and are understanding for the most

part. It wouldn’t be fair for her to lose everything and possibly be in debt over 1 test.

In conclusion, I feel one must always have a positive mindset to overcome test anxiety.

At first I struggled with this after finding out I didn’t pass my test. But now I know, that when I
do pass it, the feeling will be euphoric. I will feel accomplished and it will make me a stronger

person.
 References

Justin Pope Associated Press.Deseret News; Salt Lake City, Utah [Salt Lake City, Utah]17

Aug 2004: C01.