Stop Scaring Yourself On Tests!

Are you needlessly stressing out about tests?

Some people just work themselves into a frenzy before a test. They talk themselves out of doing well and often self-destruct. They don't give themselves a chance to do well. Seems like they have a death wish when it comes to test taking.

It doesn't have to be that way.

Other people recognize the stress, try to get a handle on it and don't let it get the best of them. Which camp are you in? Smart test takers are aware of how they might self-sabotage and avoid those things. They stay tuned to what they are doing, thinking and feeling. Once they notice a problem, they take care of it. Right now, I want you to read this list of 27 ways people scare themselves before and during a test. I want you to know all of these, and the next time you notice yourself doing one of them, you should be more able to quickly stop hurting your chances of success. Here we go.

16 Ways You Scare Yourself Before The Test

1. Listening to the negative nightmarish fears of other students.
2. Engaging in "what-if" disaster scenarios about failing.
3. Telling yourself you are going to do badly.
4. Ingesting drugs or alcohol in an effort to reduce stress and anxiety.
5. Going into denial and not studying at all, hoping you will somehow succeed.
6. Having a "failure wish" and deciding you deserve to fail.
7. Recalling past times you messed up a test.
8. Not eating or hydrating enough.
9. Not getting enough sleep or rest.
10. Studying far too little.
11. Studying far too much, especially at the last minute.
12. Trying to memorize impossible amounts of material at the last moment.
13. Studying the wrong ways.
14. Rushing in to the test room at the last moment.
15. Being disorganized with materials.
16. Not listening to the test directions.

11 Ways You Scare Yourself During The Test

1. Holding or reducing the volume of your breathing.
2. Tightening your muscles.
3. Rushing to finish first.
4. Starting to blank out and panicking about that.
5. Thinking the only way to succeed is to cheat.
6. Calling yourself names.
7. Wishing you were elsewhere.
8. Wondering when this will be over.
9. Giving up, thinking this is impossible.
10. Telling yourself you have no test taking talent.
11. Telling yourself you are a lousy student.

There are many ways you can stress yourself, and therefore psych yourself out of doing well on a test. Much of how well you do on a test has to do with you, and not to factors like timing, your mood and luck. What's the secret here?, Know what things you can and can't control, take charge of those things you can, and let go of the rest. Period. You can't control what you can't control, right?

Good luck in your next test. For now, stop scaring yourself.

Knowing about educational psychology and being test savvy is certainly an important part of being a good student, but top students who get consistently high grades also have a knowledge base and applied skills in stress control and peak performance. You need to know how to manage your mind, calm your emotions and relax your body so you can get into the “test zone”, that powerful, deeply focused mind-body state that gives you excellent recall, mental alertness and clarity. You need to learn these skills and become mentally tough so you can handle the extreme pressures of academia. Other mental skills training you need are visualization, confidence-building, mental readiness training and motivation skills.

To learn this set of mental toughness, zone, and stress control skills, sign up for our special Test Anxiety Stress Reduction Program. You can also take this no-cost assessment of your test-taking skills.

Test Anxiety Assessment