Test Anxiety

[PAGuyana]

I completely bombed on a practice FL because of anxiety. Any tips/advice on how to deal with test anxiety? Thanks in advance.

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[BerkReviewTeach]

I completely bombed on a practice FL because of anxiety. Any tips/advice on how to deal with test anxiety? Thanks in advance.

There are a few suggestions:

• 
  1) Before starting a test, be pragmatic. Realize in advance that there are going to be about two tough passages per section. If you can get half of the questions right and the other half eliminate whatever you can and thus minimize random guessing, then you are doing better than the curve. The important thing is that you don't waste time and that you don't dwell on your uncertainties. Let it go! You have to start each new passage with a clear head. On the remaining passages and questions, you have to avoid careless errors, which is easier done when you forget the previous weird passages. If you can do this, then 11s and higher should show up each time.
  
  Most test anxiety comes from counting our performance down from perfect as we take the test. We keep dwelling on difficult questions and thus don't give our fullest attention to the question in front of us. We get stressed because five to ten questions really bother us, and this anxiety reduces our focus on the questions we should get right. Every unsure answer builds up stress. If you take a perspective of 80% certainty and 20% test-skills, then this anxiety may not build up as much.
  
  2) Find your position. It may sound ultra newage Berkeley, but we think more clearly when we are well rested, well fed, and sitting in an alert position. The first two factors you have to control before the exam, but the position is something to work on. Every time you start to freak out, stop, take a deep breath, adjust your body back to your position, and start back into it. I know making an analogy between fighting and the MCAT is a bit extreme, but if you look at any good fighter (in any genre), they always return to their stance before engaging again.
  
  3) THE RIGHT ANSWER IS THERE!!! All you have to do is find it. Keep in mind that you are searching for a best answer to each question, not trying to answer each question from scratch. Break you approach into two parts: a) analyzing each answer for validity/applicability/truth and b) choosing the best answer. Think of yourself as a test-taking machine. As you get sucked into the process, you will experience less emotions.

I'm not sure how each of these will fit into your style, but give each a whirl and see what works for you. They may all prove useful or may all prove to be a bunch of crap. The thing is that you need to experiment to see what will work best for you.

Good luck!

 

[Food]

Well, my experience tends to be somewhat unorthodox. Before taking a practice exam, i do three things:

1. Convince myself that it's a practice exam and that I really want to take it, so that I can gauge my performance, and that it's fun.
2. Convince myself that it's a practice exam and that doing bad doesnt matter, as long as I improve later
3. Convince myself that i'm the smartest person on the planet, and that this test is an insult to my intelligence (builds confidence)

If you can build your confidence, overcome fear of doing poorly, and believe in your own ability, I don't see that anxiety has any place in your mind.

 

[littlealex]

In martial arts, the master always say that anxiety during combat is natural, but if you have done the proper training then it should be to your advantage.

Trust in your training. Master the material on your own time and completely understand it. Trust that you are capable of succeeding and selecting the right questions. Use it as a chance to prove to others why you are better.

The testing ground is your chance to emasculate another human being. To see them at their best and be better. It's a sport, enjoy the excitement, feel every moment of it and excel. It is why Bobby Fischer plays chess, why Kobe Bryant practices hours and hours a day, and why you must work your butt off and gain the sense of control and confidence over the information MCAT is going to test.

That sense of complete confidence and trust in yourself will elevate you to the next level and allow you to perform at your best. There are no uncertainties, only an opportunity to be brilliant.

 

[PAGuyana]

I'm loving the advice here. Keep it coming...

 

[unsung]

In martial arts, the master always say that anxiety during combat is natural, but if you have done the proper training then it should be to your advantage.

Trust in your training. Master the material on your own time and completely understand it. Trust that you are capable of succeeding and selecting the right questions. Use it as a chance to prove to others why you are better.

I love this. It's the crux of how I calm myself down before an exam... assuming that I *have* prepared adequately. There's confidence and there's false confidence. Trust in the "sweat and tears" that you've expended in getting to this point where you feel ready to take on this test.

The testing ground is your chance to emasculate another human being. To see them at their best and be better. It's a sport, enjoy the excitement, feel every moment of it and excel.

I agree with this also. Feeling competitive turns the negative aspect of anxiety (fear) into something positive: adrenaline spurred anticipation.

Think back to the last time you aced an exam, or performed really well in a stressful situation. It may not have been the last time you took a FL MCAT... but think back to whenever it was that you last really succeeded in something difficult.

 

[littlealex]

unsung is like my mental twin!
But yeah, there are times when I did not adaquately prepare for a test. In those situation, I go in thinking "Ah hell I'm screwed anyway, just relax and do the best I can."

Hopefully you guys won't be in that mode for the MCAT.