EXAM PHOBIA OR ANXIETY SESSION

EXAM PHOBIA OR ANXIETY SESSION 

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Mastering Exam Anxiety or Phobia

Ø    Why some students suffer from examination phobia?

Ø    What is examination phobia?

Ø    Why some students are afraid of examination despite putting of their good efforts?

Ø    Why some students refuse to take examination even after a good preparation

Ø    Do I have exam Anxiety or Phobia?

Ø    How do I reduce exam Anxiety or Phobia?

“EXAM—BHOOT-is nothing but a syndrome.  It has no place in student’s life who have self confidence and belief in God. So what are you afraid of? Doubts lead to failure. So, develop a positive thinking & succeed”

Prioritize and manage your time

1.         Work out a time table

2.         Concentrate on difficult subjects but do Math and Language regularly

3.         Leave time for revision

4.         Take ample breaks in between

5.         Eat right, exercise and be happy

1. What is exam Anxiety or Phobia or Phobia?

Ø  Excessive worry about upcoming exams.

Ø  Fear of being evaluated.

Ø  Apprehension about the consequences.

Ø  Experienced by many normal students.

Ø  Not mysterious or difficult to understand.

Manageable by following a plan of helpful suggestions

 There are four main areas which can contribute to your exam Anxiety or Phobia or Phobia:

Ø  Lifestyle issues,

Ø  Information needs,

Ø  studying styles,

Ø  •           Psychological Factors.

Lifestyle issues that can contribute to exam Anxiety or Phobia are

Ø  Inadequate rest,

Ø  Poor nutrition,

Ø  Too many stimulants,

Ø  Insufficient exercise,

Ø  Not scheduling available time,

Ø  Not prioritizing commitments

Information needs that can contribute to exam Anxiety or Phobia are

•           Exam-taking strategies,

•           Academic information such as course requirements, teachers' expectations,

exam dates and testing location,

•           Knowledge of how to apply Anxiety or Phobia reduction techniques

a.         while studying

b.         before an exam

c.         during an exam

•           studying styles that are

INEFFICIENT

a.         Inconsistent content coverage

b.         trying to memorize the textbook

c.         Binge studying

d.         Distance environment

e.         All-night studying before exams

INEFFECTIVE

a.         Reading without understanding

b.         can't recall the material

c.         not making review notes

d.         Not reviewing

e.         not studying

Psychological Factors

•           feeling no control over the exam situation (rather than knowing and applying exam strategies),

•           Negative thinking and self-criticism (rather than being one's own best friend),

•           Irrational thinking about exams and outcomes,

a.         Irrational beliefs "If I don't pass my (parents/partner/boss) will kill me!"

b.         Irrational demands "I have to get 100% or I am worthless."

c.         Catastrophic predictions "I'll fail no matter what I do."

2. Do I have exam Anxiety or Phobia

Many students experience some pre-exam jitters. Mild nervousness can motivate you to do your best. However, exam Anxiety or Phobia is different from typical nervousness:

•           It is more intense.

•           It is more potentially overwhelming.

•           It is more disruptive and disturbing.

•           It is not helpful or motivating.

How can exam Anxiety or Phobia affect me?

•           disturb my studying and exam preparation

•           paralyze my decision-making

•           make my mind go blank on an exam

•           undermine my academic confidence

•           prevent me from showing how much

I know

Exam Anxiety or Phobia affects different students in different ways:

PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS

1.         headache

2.         insomnia

3.         upset stomach

4.         appetite changes

a.         unable to eat

b.         constant snacking

c.         binge eating

1.         shortness of breath

2.         increased perspiration

3.         sweaty palms

4.         increased heart rate

5.         dry mouth

6.         diarrhea

7.         more frequent urination

BEHAVIORAL CHANGES

1.         tense movements

2.         losing focus of actions

3.         less coordinated movements

4.         fidgeting, nail biting

5.         moving or walking faster than normal

6.         increased smoking, drinking, and/or eating

7.         "escaping" behaviors, e.g. partying the night before an exam

EMOTIONALLY

1.         atypical mood swings

2.         emotions related to the examination, presentation or paper

3.         worry

4.         frustration

5.         fear

6.         anger

7.         discouragement

8.         depression

9.         panic

10.       hopelessness

COGNITIVELY

1.         scattered attention

2.         irrational thoughts

3.         difficulty concentrating

4.         negative, self-defeating thoughts

5.         task-disruptive daydreaming

6.         self-abusing thought

s

SOCIALLY

1.         social withdrawal

2.         avoidance of friends and family

3.         unusual irritability with others

4.         procrastination through increased socializing

How might exam Anxiety or Phobia affect my exams?

•           can't focus or organize thoughts

•           Poor recall of important concepts, keywords, and acronyms

•           can't understand exam questions

•           going blank on familiar questions

•           Poor scores on known material

•           correct recall after the exam

3. How do I reduce exam Anxiety or Phobia

We have identified eight steps to reducing exam Anxiety or Phobia

1.         Effective studying

2.         Healthy lifestyle

3.         Accurate information

4.         Exam-taking preparation

5.         Attitude upgrading

6.         Rational (instead of irrational) thinking

7.         Test-taking strategies

8.         Anxiety or Phobia reduction techniques 

1. Effective studying

•           Don't cram the night before the exam: (too much material) + (too little time) = ANXIETY OR PHOBIA

•           Plan your studying

a.         with regularly scheduled study sessions about 50 minutes long separated

by 5-10 minute breaks.

2. Healthy lifestyle

•           Anxiety or Phobia increases when one feels run down and overwhelmed.

•           Overall resilience depends on one's physical and mental health, which can be    strengthened by:

a.         enough movement and exercise

b.         balanced life (vs. over-stress)

c.         positive thoughts/beliefs (vs. self-defeating thoughts/cynicism)

d.         movement and exercise (vs. couch potato lifestyle)

e.         health focus (vs. self-neglect)

f.          replenishing nutrition (vs. junk food)

g.         regular sleeps (vs. late night lifestyle)

•           Do

a.         Plan to rest well the night before the exam

b.         Plan to arrive at the test location early to pick the seat of your

choice; away from doors, windows and other distractions.

c.         Plan to monitor the time during the exam so wear a watch or sit

where you can see the clock.

•           Avoid

a.         Drinking coffee the night before the exam

b.         Drinking coffee during the day of the exam

c.         Anxious or talkative students

d.         Other people or things that may disturb your self-confidence, focus and relaxation

5. Attitude upgrading

•           Plan to reward yourself for your hard work

•           After the exam does something you enjoy that makes you feel special:

a.         Take a relaxing walk.

b.         Have coffee with a friend.

c.         Buy yourself a present.

d.         Exercise.

e.         Have dinner at a favorite restaurant.

f.          Take a luxury bath with music, candles and a favorite book.

6. Rational (instead of irrational) thinking

•           Exam Anxiety or Phobia has two key parts:

1.         Thoughts

a.         Negative

b.         Irrational

c.         Intrusive

d.         Persistent

O         Feelings

a.         Fearful (of evaluation situations)

b.         Apprehensive (of negative outcomes)

c.         Tense (muscles readying for self-protection)

d.         Autonomic arousal (stress response)

 •          Exam-anxious thoughts and feelings are:

a.         A closed loop

b.         Mutually influencing and strengthening

•           Reduce exam Anxiety or Phobia by INTERRUPTING

a.         thought negativity

b.         thought irrationality

c.         thought intrusiveness

d.         thought repetition

e.         feeling tense

f.          feeling fearful

g.         feeling apprehensive

h.         feeling distressed

1.         Anxiety or Phobia Reduction Techniques will help you reduce these exam-anxious feelings.

2.         Negative thoughts arise from negative beliefs in your ability to be successful

3.         This is a habit of thinking; a self-defeating habit

4.         Beliefs and their thoughts are not reality

5.         You can actively change your negative thoughts to positive ones

6.         Interrupt negative thoughts with THOUGHT REPLACEMENT

A.        Plan to replace negative thoughts with positive ones

B.        Practice THOUGHT REPLACEMENT frequently to build new thought habits and new beliefs about you

a.         While studying

b.         before, during and after the exam

c.         Anytime you notice negative, self-defeating thoughts.

A.        Interrupt negative thinking with THOUGHT REPLACEMENT:

Examples

a.         I can do this!

b.         I will do my best!

c.         I can pass this test!

d.         I will focus only on the question in front of me.

•           Irrational thoughts arise from

a.         Linking one's self-worth to the test outcome

b.         Catastrophicising the consequences of anticipated failure

c.         Repeating and strengthening the irrational belief before, during and after the exam.

•           Some Irrational themes

a.         Rigid insistence "I must pass this exam or my life won't be worth living."

b.         Faulty logic "If I fail this exam then I am a failure as a person."

c.         Perfectionism "If I make a mistake on this exam then I am a worthless person."

d.         Acceptance by others "My parents will approve of me only if I pass this exam."

e.         Self-judgment "I can't think of this answer immediately and that just shows how worthless a student I am."

f.          Comparisons "Others are probably finding this exam easy. Everyone is better than I am and that is awful."

g.         Anticipation "If I get nervous at all I just know I will go blank and totally fail this exam."

A.        Interrupt irrational thinking by actively challenging your irrational thoughts.

a.         Life will always be worth living regardless of this exam.

b.         The test score is about this exam, not about me as a person.

c.         I would like to pass this exam but life will go on either way.

d.         How others do on this exam is irrelevant to me as a student and as a person.

e.         As long as I give my best effort it doesn't matter if my exam score is less than perfect.

f.          Even if I am nervous I will do my very best.

g.         What others think of me is none of my business.

h.         Whatever my test score, I intend to learn from my mistakes and do better next time.

i.          I respect myself for taking this course, regardless of the outcome.

j.          I would like a perfect score but I'll be OK with a pass.

k.         I would prefer a pass to a fail but I will continue on regardless of my score.

l.          It would be nice to have no Anxiety or Phobia, but I will put forth my best effort even if I am nervous.

A.        Intrusive thoughts often arise because of Anxiety or Phobia

B.        Intrusive thoughts distract from task focus

C.        Like an anxious child demanding attention, they need soothing.

D.        Interrupt intrusive thoughts with these six techniques

1.         Re-focus your attention: Deliberately and strongly re-focus your attention away from the inner thought back to the external exam task in front of you.

2.         Reassuring the thought: Affirm strongly that you will be fine or assert that you will take care of things.

3.         Attending to the thought: Focus your attention on the thought as though listening to a person speaking but allow no response and notice how the thought fades away in the light of your conscious focus.

4.         Practicing "Thought-Stopping": Before the exam (if you are alone), say or shout "STOP!" at the thought and intend for it to go away. Otherwise, shout "STOP!" internally to yourself.

5.         Visualization: Visualize a bubble around the thought and then shrink the bubble as small as you can. With your breath, imagine blowing the bubble into the furthest end of the universe. See and feel it disappearing and then re-focus externally on the exam task in front of you.

6.         Deliberate distraction: Distract your attention from the thought by practicing the brief relaxation and breathing techniques in Section 8.

•           Persistent, repetitive thoughts often depend on anxious tensions. Interrupt persistent exam-anxious thoughts by:

A.        Thought-Stopping

a.         be equally persistent in rejecting the worrisome thought.

b.         keep returning your attention to the task of the exam.

B.        Visualization

a.         Visualize the "bucket" of the thought emptying itself into the "bucket" of the exam.

b.         Redirect your attention back to the task of the exam.

C.        Breathing and relaxation

a.         Practice the brief exercises from Section 8.

b.         Re-focus attention back to the exam.

D.        Focusing on writing the exam and ignoring the thoughts

E.        Never giving up

a.         be as persistent as the distracting thoughts you are trying to eliminate

7. Test-taking strategies

•           Survey

a.         Read the instructions

b.         Quickly survey every page of the test

c.         See what will be expected of you

d.         Re-read the instructions a second time

•           Prioritize

a.         When surveying the test, place a mark beside all questions you know you can answer

b.         Answer the easiest questions first to guarantee marks in the least amount of time

•           Pace

a.         Do not rush through the test

b.         Regularly check time left for the rest of the questions

c.         Pace yourself

On the big day

•           Don’t work all night before.

•           Make sure you know where and when the exam is.

•           Leave plenty of time to get there.

•           Make sure you have all your equipment in advance.

•           Avoid too much coffee, nicotine and caffeine containing drinks

•           Do some of the relaxation techniques so that you are calm and focused.

•           Don’t wind each other up with ideas of what might or might not come up in the exam.

Final Tips:

1.         Don’t loose confidence on yourself. Develop your self-esteem.

2.         Do not postpone your studies

3.         Prepare a time management schedule.

4.         Prepare your strength and weaknesses record. Concentrate on your weaknesses strengthen your strong areas.

5.         Aware of the blue print of the question paper-number of questions, types of questions, nature of questions and marks allotment.

6.         Don’t entertain the horrible fear of ‘I can’t’.  Develop positive attitude ‘I can’ and ‘I will’.

7.         Start learning, build confidence, and destroy fear.

High scoring food chart

1.         Two orange or lemon juice take care of your Vat. C

2.         Have en early dinner and a glass of milk

3.         Whole gram- grains, eggs, and vegetables.

 

ü    If u never tasted a bad apple. You would never appreciate a good apple.

Because, You have to experience life to understand life... :-)