test anxiety
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Test anxiety can be a total bummer. It screws up your grades and can make your school experience horrible. But wait a minute! Do you really have test anxiety? I read a good article recently that suggested that a lot of our “test anxiety” is simply an excuse we use when we don’t do so well in school.

So how to you know whether it’s true test anxiety or not? The gist of it is, true test anxiety is the result of something mental (internal.) If your anxiety is a result of something external that you have complete control over, sorry bud it ain’t true test anxiety.

In this post I will give you 4 guideposts for determining if it’s truly test anxiety

4 questions for figuring out if it’s really Test Anxiety

1) Do you feel it even when you’re totally prepared for the test?

Let me put it another way: Are you studying enough?

Be honest with yourself and decide whether you’re really putting enough time into preparing for your exams. It might be that you simply need to raise the bar a little bit. I like to cram for tests but I’ve also practiced a lot at it. If this is the case for you, you might want to look into developing better study habits, strategies, organization and time management.

By the way, here are two great articles to get your started:
The Radical Simplicity Manifesto by Cal Newport and Productivity in a Hostile Environment by Pick The Brain.

2) Are you truly trying?

Do you actually care about doing well on a particular test? Anxiety implies that there is some emotion involved. But if you simply don’t give a you-know-what, it ain’t test anxiety.

3) Are you truly more nervous than the kid sitting next to you?

Everyone gets nervous when it comes to taking tests. Everybody gets nervous about anything that comes with a lot of pressure. Even Al Pacino suffers pretty bad stage fright when in front of large groups of people. Yes, even Scarface gets nervous. It could be that you’re simply experiencing a healthy dose of anxiousness while taking a test.

4) Are you taking care of yourself mentally and physically?

Make sure you’re eating well, sleeping enough, and exercising enough. Once again, you might need to raise the bar a bit. Poor nutrition and exercise will will generally make you feel like crap physically, mentally, and emotionally too.

Feel better now?

Now if you feel mad or persecuted (”I have a disease dangit!”) don’t. I want to empower you not tear you down. By realizing you have control over your feelings and behavior, you’ll be better off, trust me!

That said, true test anxiety does exist. And if you passed my little quiz and still think you might have test anxiety, these two links might be helpful:

CampusBlues.com
About.com: How to Deal with Test Anxiety

Good luck!

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