Stressed Out: How Test Anxiety Can Get You an A+

We’ve all been there – sitting in our rooms, trying to consume as much information as our brains can handle, thinking: “What if I screw up? What if I make the dumbest mistake ever? What if I spoil the answer sheet, and will have to ask for a new one?”

Anxiety for the testing process has been plaguing students ever since testing itself was invented. Thankfully, the more we learn about stress and how our body responds to it, the more productive we can be during such stressful situations as writing for a test or meeting with your crush.

Step One: Measuring Stress

The whole point of this article is to prove that a moderate level of stress can do good to your grades and life in general – but what exactly is a moderate level of stress? Stress is the automatic response of our body to a change of external conditions or a challenge (a stressor). Anything can be a stressor – it’s not only your parents being angry with you or an upcoming math test. From a biological point of view, a ringing phone or even a wind blowing at your face are all stressors.

How can you know whether you are distressed or just having the right amount of mental stimulation? It’s simple: moderate stress (the one which you should be aiming for) prevails when your desire to “go for it” is bigger than your fear of failure.

Step Two: Getting Rid of Excessive Stress

If you realize that your stress level is definitely not moderate, and you almost feel like fainting or running away and hiding in a dark remote place, then you definitely have some excessive stress. Here are some techniques to try when you feel like your mind is floating away, and the thoughts of utter failure start filling your head:

Find something to concentrate on.

First of all, we should warn you that shifting your attention and stiffing stress is not a healthy way to approach the problem. Stress is a clear notification that something is wrong and requires your immediate attention. When you are writing or preparing a test, however, there’s nothing dangerous, and sometimes there’s not enough time to process your stress in a healthy way.

Tip: keep in mind that you should look for something that really grabs your attention and fascinates you in a non-stressful situation – like doodling, playing a logic game or reading. If you can’t focus to the fullest, the technique won’t work.

2. Halt the “failure” cycle of thoughts.

Why are you stressing about a test? The most common reasons are “I am afraid to fail,” “I will let everyone down if I don’t do perfect,” or even “I won’t be able to get into a good college and build a successful career.” Psychologists call this catastrophic. One test is not likely to ruin your life, even if you utterly and completely fail it.

Tip: use the activity from the first point to shift your focus. This will feel unpleasant and like you’re doing something wrong, because the main function of stress is to make you check immediately whether you are not in danger.

3. Realize that it’s okay to stress.

This is just a quick reminder that stress is a primary response designed to keep us safe and secure, which has played a significant role in the survival and evolution of the human race. Therefore, if you are a healthy individual, there’s no way you can get rid of this emotional reaction. More than that, when your stress control reaches a high level, you will be able to use it for what it was intended in the first place – to maximize your performance in harsh conditions. In your case, it means remembering that one formula you didn’t know you memorized until you saw a question about it, and getting a perfect score on your test.

(Evil) tip: next time someone’s assuring you that they don’t stress at all, especially about such small things as tests, think that they wouldn’t survive back then without us, the people who ran away from waving grass thinking it was a tiger.

Step Three: Making Stress Work for You

Try following tips before or during the upcoming test and see if they can make the stress do its primary function – maximize your brain and body performance.

Trying not to think about the white elephant is not working. Instead, shift your focus to other subjects, preferably ones that interest you, every time the test anxiety kicks in.
While your teacher is handing out test sheets, focus on your body posture and try to reach maximum level of comfort. Even if you are not adept at relaxed breathing, just paying attention to the state of your body will reduce the anxiety.
Avoid taking strong sedatives unless you are in a panic. They will help curb the nervousness, but also they can make you dizzy and your focus – less sharp.
Practice staying in the realm of “durable stress” and explore its possibilities. For example, if you are nervous about giving presentations in public, ask your friend to listen to you and reflect on your inner state in the process.
Remember that tests are stressful to many students, and it’s OK to share your feelings – but avoid being around people who are shivering like leaves and imposing their anxiety on you. You’ve got your own tasks to deal with!

Step Four: Discovering Positive Stress

Did you know that seeing your crush, getting a surprise birthday party, or a call from a friend you haven’t been hearing from for ages also qualifies as stress? Maybe we should stop overthinking our emotional responses and trying to make everything smooth and stress-free. Feeling uncomfortable due to an upcoming test is unnerving, but this can have a lot of positive effect on you. For example, it can push you to study harder, or create a clear revision schedule, or try that mnemonic technique you’ve been planning to try for ages. And keep in mind that getting an A+ and the pleasant feeling that arises afterward is also, technically, a stressful experience!