Controlling Your Test
Anxiety
Barbara Eckenfels, MS - F240 (936) 273-7246
Juan Lebron, Ed.S - F250 (936) 273-7246
TEAM Division Counselors
Montgomery College
Why Do I Have Math
Test Anxiety?
Past
failures come to haunt you!
Lowered self-confidence
Attitude need adjusting?
Lack of preparation?
What Comes First!
 You
need an attitude adjustment! You
can do math and you must believe it!
 You
must commit to doing what it takes
to pass math! (More lab and study
time! Control Test Anxiety). Math is
required in all BS/BA programs!
you follow the “How to be Successful
in Math” tips, you WILL Succeed.
 If
Disarm the Power of Tests!
Grades are NOT:
A measure of intelligence
 A measure of creativity
 An indication of how you will contribute
to society
 A measure of what you have
accomplished
 A MEASURE OF YOUR SELF-WORTH!

Grades Are:

A measure of what you scored on a
particular day or days.

An Indication of what your professor feels is
important.

Powerful enough to cause a delay or
adjustment in reaching your goals, but not
powerful enough to stop you forever!
What is Test Anxiety?
It is the worry caused by having to take a test.
You may experience:
 butterflies in your stomach
 Anxiety
 Sweating
 Nausea
 Loss of concentration or “blanking out”
 Lower grades on tests than daily work
The “Flight or Fight Response”
 The
automatic stress
response dates back to
prehistoric times – for survival.
 We
cannot differentiate
between a perceived physical
threat and a psychological
threat.
Physiological Response to a
Physical or Emotional Threat
 Hormones
are elevated during the
stress response ~ cortisol,
norepinephrine, and epinephrine are
released into the bloodstream.
 Anxiety
or stress response occurs!
What are Other Causes of
Test Anxiety?
•Pressure to succeed
•Fear of failure
•Need to make all “A’s”
•Irrational and/or negative
thinking
Who is Affected by Test Anxiety?
Everyone experiences some test anxiety, but
there are generally two types of students:

Those who see testing as a challenge and a
chance to show the instructor what they know.

Those who view testing as a threat. They may
have experienced past failures.
How can you
eliminate
Test Anxiety?
Tips for Reducing
Test Anxiety
Be prepared! Study, study, study…..
 Get plenty of rest the night before
 Eat properly the day of the exam
 Do not arrive early or late to the exam
 Avoid last minute studying
 Avoid listening or discussing the test while
you are waiting to take the test.
 Don’t forget to breathe!

Tips continued:

Replace negative thoughts, with positive
thoughts while taking deep breaths and
doing relaxation exercises—we will
practice this!

Don’t worry and get “bogged down” with
questions you don’t know.

REMEMBER WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED
FROM THIS SEMINAR AND USE IT!!!
Three Factors to
Successful
Test Taking
Preparation
Your knowledge and preparation are basic
to doing well. You may panic in the test
due to incomplete knowledge or from not
having studied enough.
This is not TRUE test anxiety
Test Taking Skills
Familiarity with test taking formats and the
development of good test taking strategies
are essential to your academic success!
Emotional State
Your emotional state affects your ability to
test well.
 It takes a calm and controlled emotional state
for your memory and judgment to work most
effectively.

Conquering Test Anxiety by
Learning Relaxation Techniques
You cannot be relaxed and anxious at the same
time! Control the “Flight or Fight “ Response:
Deep Breathing
 Progressive Muscle Relaxation (Practice)
 Choose a word to link to the relaxation exercises.
 Mental Imagery
 Systematic Desensitization

Progressive Relaxation
Exercises: Breathe!
Take a deep breath, hold for 5 seconds. At the same
time, tense the muscles in your face and neck. Now
slowly exhale and relax these muscles.
 Take another deep breath, hold for 5 seconds and at the
same time tense the muscles in your shoulders and
arms. Slowly exhale, relaxing these muscles
 Continue through the following muscle groups:
 Chest and lungs
 Stomach area
 Hips, legs & feet
Pay attention to how you feel while doing this exercise. You
should begin to feel your body relax

Control Negative Thinking
You can control what you think!!
Control negative thinking: self-defeating statements can become
“self-fulfilling prophecies”.

Awareness: Identify your own pattern of negative statements

Consequences: Note the consequences. Take the statement:
“If I blow this test, it’s my whole career, my whole life.” NOT!!
CHANGE TO:
“If I continue to think about my life right now, I won’t have time to
concentrate on this test.”

Rebuttal: Now, challenge your original statement. These statements are NOT
absolute, predictable truths!
Reverse Negative Thinking
Begin to Develop positive self-statements:
“I CAN do well on this test.”
“I studied hard and Know this material.”
“I’m smart and will succeed no matter what!”
Progressive Muscle Relaxation
Practice

Close your eyes and listen as I talk you
through the sequence of tensing and relaxing
your different muscle groups.

Choose a Relaxation Word to use as you relax
your muscles and exhale

Get comfortable, close your eyes….
Mental Imagery Practice
Relax, take several deep breaths and listen…..
Systematic Desensitization

Work mentally through a hierarchy of
least anxiety producing situations to
the worse anxiety situations.

Use your relaxation techniques while
vividly imaging the least anxiety
producing situation on your hierarchy
list.

Keep practicing until you are relaxed.

Go to the next level. (See handout)
PRACTICE, PRACTICE,
PRACTICE!

The skills you need to conquer
Test Anxiety will not be
acquired overnight!

If you believe you CAN do it,
then you CAN!
Life is too short to “sweat”
the small stuff!