Hey Athenacus,

I'm sorry that your test anxiety affects you so much. The way I tried to keep myself calm about my exams is in the way I study. When I've gone through everything and think I've studied everything, sometimes I would panic because I felt like I knew absolutely nothing. So I'd go through and imagine several questions that I could see being on the test and I'd answer them to myself, without looking at anything. That was one way that I used to reassure myself that I really knew the material, which then helped me from getting so nervous.

Also, I tend to remember where things are on the pages of my notes. So, if I'm sitting in the test and I just cannot think of an answer, I'd try to remember where I had it in my notes and picture that spot on the page and see if I could then remember what was there.

Just in general, though...try to take it one question at a time. You will absolutely panic if you think about the whole test and what happens if I get a C or if I blank on the whole test, etc. etc. Concentrate on the question right in front of you. Don't second guess yourself - I've changed way too many answers because I second guess myself (and I always ended up switching away from the right answer).

I think the important thing, though, is where that anxiety is coming from. Is it from a fear of failure? If so, what kind of failure are you afraid of?

Kashley,

Thank you for the tips!
I will have to give some of that a try. I do the same thing about picturing my notes on the page or picturing where it said such and such in a book in order to get the answer. One of my problems was I was trying to picture the notes and all I could picture was the heading and nothing below (blank page in my head). I panicked and wrote only a paragraph instead of an essay because nothing was coming to my head. Also, the mult. choice questions seemed like a foreign language. I didn't remember studying any of that stuff. It's as if I studied for a different class or nothing I studied was the same as the stuff on the test, so then I panicked about that. I need to practice ways to not get myself so panicky and to find a better way to study.

Yes, I do have a fear of failure. I admitted that to my first professor in the program this past summer. I also have PTSD type of reactions that I need to work on. I'm a survivor of CSA and domestic abuse. I recently left my 1st ever therapist (the same week as the test actually).
Maybe a new T at the university's mental health clinic will be able to help me.

Thank you again for your thoughts!