anxiety?

[chemdoctor]

How do you guys fight testing anxiety? I have it and it's REALLY bad. Like what's the worst that's gonna happen?! I fail and so what?! I can still be happy, never give up and try again! Right?! I keep telling myself that, but it's so hard 🙁
Any advice? I wanna go to med school obviously and I think I'm struggling in Orgo over the summer hc of my testing anxiety. Give me advice because I still gotta do well on the MCAT!!! How do you guys not fear failure?! Aren't you scared of doing horribly and having to give up?

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[AttemptingScholar]

1. Just breathe (source:gonnif)
2. There's always a way around. People have failed things like Orgo and still gotten into medical school.
3. If your stress isn't helpful, it needs to go away.

I know all this is much easier said than done, I'm lucky that I can usually go into a zone on tests. Knowing that my stress is doing to harm me, not help me, makes it easier for me to compartmentalize and ignore my fears.

This may not work for you, but it's how I do. I hope it helps, even a little.

 

[chemdoctor]

1. Just breathe (source:gonnif)
2. There's always a way around. People have failed things like Orgo and still gotten into medical school.
3. If your stress isn't helpful, it needs to go away.

I know all this is much easier said than done, I'm lucky that I can usually go into a zone on tests. Knowing that my stress is doing to harm me, not help me, makes it easier for me to compartmentalize and ignore my fears.

This may not work for you, but it's how I do. I hope it helps, even a little.

Yeah that works a little bit... I just don't see how you all do it! Like aren't you scared of the MCAT or the USMLE? (Not sure which stage you're at) lol

 

[Longshot6]

I have always had testing anxiety like you. I would overprepare for tests and feel nervous and worried during the test and after the test. In retrospect, I think it has helped me. First, you gotta figure out if your anxiety is hurting your scores, if not then I would just try to bear it. If it is hurting your scores, a strategy would be to overprepare. Yeah you're not going to be able to open a cold one with the boys or gals (sorry for assuming gender) sometimes, but your anxiety should lessen when you overprepare for a test because you know 1) you did all you could and 2) you're probably gonna kill the test if you studied that hard.

 

[SuperficialSteve]

Maybe this isn't the best advice for your situation but I thought I'd share. Like you, I found my testing performance in early college hampered by my anxiety. One thing I tried to start doing was to see each test or assignment as a challenge or competition against myself. If I saw improvement in my test preparation and actual test score in comparison to previous tests, I considered it to be a success. Each test I challenged myself to do better than the last time around. Ultimately though, if you prepare yourself to take these tests to the absolute best of your ability and the available resources, I don't think you can ask for much more from yourself. Maybe you could try using that fear of failure to drive yourself to work harder to avoid that failure, rather than having that fear of failure acting solely as a crippling factor. I think one of the biggest lessons school has taught me is that I am in charge of my success (for the most part), and if I want to succeed, that is something that I am in control of. Just remember that you are in control and if you have prepared to the best of your ability, you shouldn't fear! If you fail you can get up, dust yourself off, and try again! Sorry if this is of no use!

Sent from my VS425PP using SDN mobile

 

[chemdoctor]

Maybe this isn't the best advice for your situation but I thought I'd share. Like you, I found my testing performance in early college hampered by my anxiety. One thing I tried to start doing was to see each test or assignment as a challenge or competition against myself. If I saw improvement in my test preparation and actual test score in comparison to previous tests, I considered it to be a success. Each test I challenged myself to do better than the last time around. Ultimately though, if you prepare yourself to take these tests to the absolute best of your ability and the available resources, I don't think you can ask for much more from yourself. Maybe you could try using that fear of failure to drive yourself to work harder to avoid that failure, rather than having that fear of failure acting solely as a crippling factor. I think one of the biggest lessons school has taught me is that I am in charge of my success (for the most part), and if I want to succeed, that is something that I am in control of. Just remember that you are in control and if you have prepared to the best of your ability, you shouldn't fear! If you fail you can get up, dust yourself off, and try again! Sorry if this is of no use!

Sent from my VS425PP using SDN mobile

It's very useful. Gonna try. Doing bad in Orgo rn... Not sure if I should W it to save the GPA

 

[AttemptingScholar]

Yeah that works a little bit... I just don't see how you all do it! Like aren't you scared of the MCAT or the USMLE? (Not sure which stage you're at) lol

I definitely use my anxiety to fuel my studying, but I check it at the door of the actual exam. I wish I could explain it or how to do it, but I try and make tests positive. I make jokes and dance in my seat, if I make eye contact with a proctor I'll smile and moth 'hi.' TBH I was kinda behind on my emotional development until the end of high school, though I knew it and my mental/physical/social were normal. I was just kinda waiting to be able to control my emotions like the rest of my peers until I could. (I had a lot of trouble controlling my crying until I started BC though. Sometimes it's just not in your control and you have to work with it.)

It also helps considering my future as a 'checkpoint.' For most of my life I was told that one thing feeds into another and to be prepared for whatever's next I need to do well now. I remember coming home crying in fifth grade because I'd failed a test. But by high school, I learned that once I finished high school my slate would be wiped blank, so I didn't care as much when I occasionally failed tests in high school. No one in medical school cares what college you went to. No one in residency cares where you went to med school. Older doctors only care about fellowships. Each level can give you a leg up on the next, but it's not essential.

 

[Jdoxis]

Consider talking to a doctor about your anxiety; they may have medication or therapy to help you. Also, talk to student accommodations about maybe getting more time for your exams if that would help.