Math Test Anxiety

Some helpful hints, taken from the Internet, for those of you who study from test anxiety.

To be a more effective test-taker, students must be able to use the time given effectively. Looking at the clock and worrying about the time will just add to the anxiety level. Here are some more suggestions for overcoming test anxiety:

1. Take the time to look over the entire test in the first 5 minutes to get a sense of what concepts are covered and what format the test uses.

2. Mark up the easiest problems and the hardest problems.

3. Do the easiest problems first in order to gain confidence.

4. Get to the average level problems next, keeping in mind to move on if feeling stuck.

5. Save the hardest ones for last.

6. Finally, try the ones you skipped. Use smart guessing strategies only as a last resort. Proofread for small mistakes.

7. Feel proud that you did your best!

Students need to be physically prepared to sit down at a test and do their best. Drink adequate water the day before, and bring a water bottle at the test site to stay properly hydrated. The day before the test and the morning of test day, students should have eaten nutritious, high energy foods without too much sugar and salt. (Potato chips and corn chips, high sugar and caffeine drinks are never a good idea!) The student should have had plenty of sleep the night before also.

As students get ready leading up to the test, they must find out what other resources they are allowed during the test. Will the teacher allow notebooks, note cards, past assignments, or study sheets or problem examples? If so, get them organized and ready; reread or rewrite them as necessary. Work with other students in study groups, or use an online tutor and discuss examples similar to the ones you think will be on the test. This preparation time and effort will pay off!