#math note

Exams have, and still do, give me anxiety. I have never been the best taker and a lot of that can be chalked up to poor study skills. Before I begin a new chapter in my academic career, I think it’s best to examine how to become an effective test taker. I have always felt that being a good test taker means I understand the material in a thorough sense, to the point where I can teach someone else the same material in my own words and with my own methods. However, test anxiety is a very real issue many of us face. So how do we make it through midterms, finals, and entrance exams?

Tips & Tricks:

Positive Self-Talk- According to a NYT article, “How to Be a Better Test-Taker,” a study published in the journal Emotion, Dr. Beilock and four co-authors in 2011 found that with students anxious about math, the more stress hormone they produced, the worse they did on a test; students with low math anxiety did better the more cortisol they produced. The best way to combat this is to flip the script. Remind yourself that damp palms and a pounding heart accompany all kinds of enjoyable experiences: riding a roller coaster, winning a sports match, kissing someone you really like for the first time. It’s important to be mindful. Recognize that you have these feelings, but associate them with better, more positive things. 

Write it down- This is another way of being mindful. The aforementioned article recommends that for 10 minutes you write about your feelings regarding the exam to clear your mind of test-related stress, freeing working memory that can be applied to the exam.

Go into exam day with a game plan- Now that we have our study skills down it’s hard to think where to begin, which contributes (at least for me) to poor study habits and going into the exam uninformed. Use the syllabus effectively, it’s one of your best resources for the class. It’s the best way to help you make a plan. Don’t cram for your exams, they hardly sneak up on you. Start planning from the first class to curate a study schedule. Much of my anxiety comes from feeling underprepared because I never planned for the exam or even thought of what the exam must look like. Much of my study posts can be simplified into three tips:

Use your syllabus 

Make a study calendar 

Make studying part of your DAILY routine