Practice 7 Test Taking Strategies Before the Test To Ease Anxiety via Seeds of Literacy

Practice 7 Test Taking Strategies Before the Test To Ease Anxiety

Seeds of Literacy:  8.27.2018

“Test taking is a learned skill, explained Chris Richards, site coordinator at Seeds West. “It’s very different than subject knowledge or intelligence. It’s a way of thinking that needs to be learned. And like any skill, it can only be learned with practice and patience.” Without this skill, Test Taking Anxiety can cripple even the most prepared student.

What Is Test Taking Anxiety?

Test Taking Anxiety is a form of anxiety that negatively affects a student’s performance on an exam. It is very real, and very common. Anxiety can spoil weeks —or even months— of studying.

What does Test Taking Anxiety look like?

There are three kinds of symptoms* and any combination of the three may happen:

Behavioral/Cognitive – difficulty concentrating, negative thoughts, self-handicapping behavior (avoidance, creating distractions on cell phone, etc.), tapping feet, clicking pens

Emotional – feelings of anger, fear, helplessness, lowered self esteem

Physical – headache, nausea, shortness of breath, rapid pulse

“We don’t want to find out a student has severe test anxiety when they sign up to take the official GED®,” said Kara Krawiec, site coordinator at Seeds East. “We want to start talking about strategies earlier in the education process so that they can be confident for the real thing.”

Richards and Krawiec shared the following tips that students start using now: on classwork, mastery quizzes, and practice tests.

1) Eliminate the Surprises.

Knowing what to expect is half the battle. The length of the test, the types of questions, and the tools that will be available are all important to know beforehand. Most HSE tests are computerized, so practice with technology-enhanced questions will also be important.

For the official test, it’s important to know where you’re going. “Studies have shown that students often perform better when they are comfortable in the testing center,” Richards said. “Visiting the testing center prior the test is helpful because you can determine how long it takes to get there, you see the building, and you’ll know where to go.”

2) Always Read the Questions Carefully, BEFORE the Answers.

3) Master the Tools You Can Use.  READ MORE >>