Bernell DorroughWhen I was taking my midterm last week, I totally froze. It was like I couldn’t remember anything. Is something wrong with me? This has never happened before and now I am totally freaking out about finals.
It is very unlikely that there is anything wrong with you. In fact, you are probably more normal than you think. Fran Lang, the Director of the Disability Resource Center in Cornerstone, says that test anxiety, such as ‘freezing’ on a test, is common. It is also not a disability. Dr. Lang says, “Test anxiety is not a ‘disability’ that can be covered by the ADA, unless it is part of a more general anxiety syndrome (Generalized Anxiety Disorder). Some students become anxious when they fear they will not have enough time to complete their exam.” Other causes of test anxiety can be: lack of preparation/lack of good study skills; inadequate information (about the format of the test, material to be covered on the test); internal and external pressures to succeed; fear of being evaluated; fear of failure; perfectionism; competition; or catastrophic thinking (“I don’t know the answer …I’ll fail the test…I’ll fail the course…I’ll never graduate…I’ll never get a job…”).
Generally, everyone experiences some level of nervousness or tension before taking exams. A little anxiety or stress can actually help motivate you and make you more alert. However, too much anxiety can interfere with your ability to study and perform well.
Most of the exams that you will take in college are designed to be challenging. They are not necessarily written so that every student can answer every question. You may not know how to do every problem or remember the correct answer to every question. It can be normal to feel rushed to finish all of the problems or write solid answers to every essay. Consider talking with your professor. Let him/her know that you ‘froze’ during the midterm. Talk with him/her about how you prepared for the exam and about the effort you are putting into doing well in his/her course. By talking with your professor, you have at least given him/her insight into the fact that you are struggling, even if it is only with taking the exams, and why your performance may not accurately reflect your capability.
Dr. Lang points out that not finishing an exam can also be a sign of a real disability for a small number of students. “There is a subset of students who have very significant processing problems, causing them to work through a test substantially more slowly. If this is the case, if they come see me, I may be able to help.”
You don’t need to have a ‘disability’ to go and see Fran Lang or use the resources at Cornerstone. Dr. Lang actually has a wonderful exercise to help students, so that by the time they go into their exams they are relaxed. “You start 5 days ahead of time and work on it each day and by the time of the actual exam, students are just focused on the content, not their anxiety. We’ve used it in medical students and they claim it works.”
You may also be feeling intense pressure to do well, which can add to the anxiety of taking an exam. Consider chatting with one of the counselors at the Student Health and Counseling Service. They don’t have a vested interest in you being a pre-med or acing financial accounting. A counselor is a safe person to talk with about how you feel. A counselor isn’t going to mention your chemistry exam three different times during Thanksgiving dinner.
And back to the basics…
Don’t try to cram a semester’s worth of lectures into your head the night before the test. Get a good (at least 6 hours) night sleep before your tests. Eat a nutritious meal before your exam (no, pop tarts don’t count). Eating a sugary meal can lead to dizziness, headaches, lightheadedness, lack of concentration and increase your anxiety. Dehydration is the #1 cause of memory loss, so drink up! But don’t overload right before your test or you’ll never make it through without a bathroom trip. And if talking with your classmates just before the exam causes butterflies in your stomach, then avoid them-find a quiet spot, take a few deep breaths, and smile-you are almost done! You aren’t going to have to study for that test anymore!
You can reach Fran Lang at 5-4153 or [email protected] and you can reach Cornerstone at 5-5970 or [email protected] are located right on the South 40. To make an appointment with one of the counselors at Student Health and Counseling (Umrath Hall), call Kathy at 5-6695.
Questions?
How many times have you had a question about your body or your health that you felt weird asking a friend or someone older? Especially when it’s about sex? Jill Ringold, who received her master’s degree in Public Health and is a certified health education specialist, is the health educator in the Office of Health Promotion and Wellness. And she’s here to help answer those questions that you really want to ask. If you want to submit a question, please send it to [email protected] or via our anonymous portal on the Student Life website (www.studlife.com).