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Test Anxiety is one of the oft-described and very familiar manifestations of the overall
configuration of anxiety, which one and all, sooner or later, experiences.
What is anxiety? Anxiety is about losing focus, losing touch with the dynamics inside our heads. It does not matter if the feared situation is external, like not doing well on
tests, or whether it is internal, like not being able to control our
feelings. The intrapersonal or subjective experience of anxiety is the same.
We feel a formless sense of restlessness, which if allowed to build up,
crescendos into something that can be quite heavy-going .
The remedy for such an incident is to cease ruminating on what
we are thinking. The shielding strategy is that whatever it is that
produces anxiety should be avoided. Alternatively, if it is the
location in which we find ourselves, the most efficient solution is
to leave. These are quick fixes for anxiety, and often work when
the anxiety is low, or when we can control what we think or where
we are.
However, other kinds of anxiety are not so easy to repress.
Test taking anxiety is about being unrehearsed for a test, or
having to do really well "or else." One cannot just leave the
circumstances behind or just go away, physically.
To deal with this particular form of anxiety, one has to first recognize
what specifically triggers the fear. (By the way, anxiety is usually
thought of as unfocused fear; that is, we are afraid of something
but just do not know of what. Since test anxiety is specific, we
might just as well label it test fear, not test anxiety.) It could
be lots of things. Have you not studied enough so you fear just not
knowing enough answers? Are you competing with others who you
perceive to be better prepared, or smarter? Is there a bigger
consequence if you do not do well? (Think final exams vs.
mid-term quizzes.)
To survive test anxiety, as with most experiences of anxiety, try to
break the experience down into less important categories. Think baby steps,
in popular lingo. Accordingly, the more minor the steps
the easier they are to control. Moreover, try not to think of
the final outcome; rather, focus on the precise steps, letting
them add up one by one. It does not take long to recognize that the smaller
steps are much easier to negotiate. Without thinking of the final goal, managing
smaller steps inevitably leads to the bigger goal, which is to reduce
test anxiety, in this case from the inside out.
Here is an example. Suppose there are twelve chapters to master
before a final exam. You could worry about the level of material,
fretting that with so many chapters, surely there will be something to
forget, hence lower your grade. Or, you could focus solely on
Chapter One. The idea is to be "in the moment" with a smaller step,
in this case focusing on and attending to only one chapter. Just deal with that,
and then ask your roommate, parent or significant other to quiz you if
there are no quizzes at the back of the chapter. Master one chapter.
When this is finished, you have reduced your anxiety more than you probably realize.
Does not seem like much? Study Chapter Two and do the same thing,
while reviewing Chapter One. Now you have mastered more,
plus gotten a sense that this project is doable, and so on.
Alas, many people do not stay in the moment, nor do they
break their experiences down into convenient units. These are the
people who are prone to develop anxiety disorders proper, of which
there are many. If you think this is your experience, this author
has written an ebook that shows you exactly how to assess your own
experience of anxiety, and a lot more, especially if you are a
do-it-yourself type.
Dr. Griggs
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