I have never been a great test taker, unless math was the subject. Theres something about numbers that make it easy for me to remember and solve. As far as other subjects go, I guess you could say that I am not the best when it comes to being prepared or studying. I usually cram overnight the night before the test and when it is put in front of me, I forget everything. This is an area of my learning that I am taking very seriously now and will be working very hard to change for the better. I never have a problem with the test itself. I am very good at following directions and usually have no problem understanding whats being asked of me.
Anxiety is another issue I have, not just with test taking but with life in general. Having anxiety during a test can be very distracting and can pull your focus away from the test. Most of the anxiety I have has been with being in the classroom, so online classes might be just what I need! Another issue I have is with frustration. When I come to a problem that I get stuck on I get very frustrated and most of the time the answer is right in front of me. What I need to do is skip over the question and come back to it instead of wasting valuable test time on that specific problem.
Overall I have a lot of work to do in this department if I want to be a successful test taker. The areas that I am focused on the most are studying every night instead of cramming, and reviewing my test to make sure I did not make silly mistakes or grammatical errors.
I crammed for tests in the past due to anxiety over an upcoming test too. What I noticed was that the grade received didn't matter just that it was done. Studying and doing assignments as you go seems to help ease anxiety and build confidence in myself. Knowing what your strengths and weakness are can help reduce anxiety about an upcoming test
ReplyDeleteI agree with you the easiest subject to study for is math. It's much less time consuming to memorize a formula than to memorize and remember concepts, names, dates etc.
ReplyDeleteAnyone who claims they haven't crammed for a test is lying. We all do it or have done it. It's the idea that the information will be "fresh" in our minds, it never works.
I too have anxiety. It's hard to try to come down when you have gotten yourself so worked up. That is why I try to convince myself that its a piece of cake. For me if I stay optimistic I generally perform better. When you have anxiety over a test you usually end up penalizing yourself. For example when I met with my admissions representative from Hesser to talk about programs he sprung a suprise test on me (to see if I met the requirements). I was so worked up over the whole thing that I actually forgot how to do simple math, it was terrible! Luckily I did fine. Frustration and anxiety feed off of one another, eliminate one of them and you've eliminated both.
I'm so jealous, Math gives me so much anxiety! It doesnt matter how much I study or how much I think I understand a formula I always do poorly. I think that if we all keep in mind what "Power" says about test taking (that taking a test is not a measure of ourselves as students, but a measure of the information that we have learned and can be used as a tool after the test is handed back) then we will all have less anxiety towards test taking.
ReplyDeleteReading you blog hit home for me. I suffer from social anxiety. Durring a test I tend to be focusing on everyone around me, wondering if people are looking at me, am i taking to long compared to everyone else. It makes test taking really hard. This is why I am trying online courses. I find it alot easier being in the comfort of my own home.
ReplyDelete