Anyone can fail a test when they are not prepared.  But what about when you went to every class, read all the material, studied your notes and felt very confident before you went to bed the night before?  Some students struggle with testing anxiety.  Of course some anxiety is normal and even helpful when test taking.  It is what keeps us on our feet and motivated.  But the anxiety must be manageable.

First things first…..is it test anxiety or are you like the rest of your classmates who have only attended half of the lectures and didn’t really feel like reading the text last night because after all the season finale of your favorite sitcom was on and that constituted a party.  If you choose the latter I am afraid that you suffer from nothing more than Study Skills and Time Management issues and while both of the previously mentioned can result in some catastrophic academic issues; they are not my topic of discussion.

            You may be suffering from test anxiety if you:

-Prepare or over-prepare and feel confident in the information but your mind goes blank when the test is handed out.

-Suffer from panic attacks or debilitating anxiety; overwhelming emotions that impact performance; sweeping fear of failure; wanting to keep anxiety hidden from others; embarrassment.

-Experience upset stomach, sweating, rapid heart rate, shortness of breath, tightness in chest, tingling in hands/feet. During preparation for, during, and after test brought on by testing situation more so than what is on the test.

            If this is you, there are ways to work through it.  And believe me, you will be glad that you did.  No matter how prepared you are test anxiety can take your scores and toss them out the window.  So take my advice, talk to the right people.  There are many, many resources available to students at MSU so take advantage.

            I recommend:

            - First Year Initiative  994-7359

            - Advance By Choice  994-4541

- Counseling & Psychological Services  994-4531

-Disability, Re-entry, & Veterans Services  994-2824

Return to regular view	Text-only	Updated: 11/01/06