Headaches, nausea, faintness and feeling too hot or too cold are all physical symptoms many a student has felt before a test. Emotional stress such as crying, feeling irritable as well as being easily frustrated may also be manifested with test anxiety. The effect test anxiety has on a person's thinking abilities is a major problem which may cause the person's mind to go blank or result in many thoughts racing through the mind all of which is very hard to control.

To counteract test anxiety there are a number of ways including being well prepared for the test, self-testing oneself, maintaining a healthy lifestyle which means eating nutrious food, getting enough sleep and exercising regularly.

Preparation is Key

One should start by anticipating the exam as the time approaches and be well prepared in more ways than one before going to bed. This can include organizing everything needed for the exam including pens, rulers, erasers, calculators or other items ready. Double check the venue of the exam as well as the time and then one should set the alarm clock and get a good night's sleep ahead of the exam to contribute positively to alleviate test anxiety.

A person should spend a few minutes calming themselves if they feel excessive test anxiety and this can include stretching the arms and legs and then relaxing them. It also helps to take a few deep breaths and do some positive internal self-talking in case the exam is more difficult than anticipated, one should always focus and try to do their best.

To help ease the test anxiety one may treat themselves once the exam. Some level of nervousness is experienced by everyone before a test and a little bit of nervousness may actually be helpful. It may only be concluded that a person is suffering from test anxiety when the level of nervousness or tension becomes overwhelming.

A feeling of nervousness that impairs a person's ability to perform normally is test anxiety and is really a type of performance anxiety which is the feeling that a person experiences when they need to perform and when there is pressure to do well. When a person has butterflies in the stomach, stomachaches or a tension headache then test anxiety may result.

Not doing well in a test is not the same as test anxiety, which is something that impairs a person from performing his normal routine.

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