Dealing with Test Anxiety and Preparing for Nursing Prerequisites
By Megan Sentes
Test anxiety can be a major obstacle when striving for a perfect grade. It’s more than just a bit of nervousness before an exam – it can completely alter your perspective if you allow it to. Symptoms of test anxiety include excessive sweating, rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, headache, feeling faint, self-doubt, fear, stress, anger, and hopelessness. It can hinder concentration, making it challenging to focus on the task at hand. Test anxiety can also make choosing answers on a test difficult and cause you to forget the material you studied for hours.
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I’ve personally battled with test anxiety since starting university. I faced it in high school too, but I didn’t recognize it as a serious issue back then. Test anxiety even led me to fail Anatomy & Physiology during my first attempt. I would often doubt my answers and struggle to decide between different options. The anxiety would cause me to blank out after all the hard work I put into studying. It brought me down and made me question if nursing was the right path. However, I decided to confront my challenges and bounce back. I questioned my study methods, but I’m grateful I persevered.
Here are some strategies that helped me and might help you overcome test anxiety and believe in your dream:
Discover your learning style and study effectively.
Take an online quiz to identify your learning style and find the best strategy for you. Knowing whether you’re a visual, auditory, kinesthetic, or reading/writing learner will aid your study approach and memory retention.
Establish a consistent study routine.
Develop a routine for studying every time you have an exam. Following the same steps each time will prepare you for the test. This routine will help you feel more at ease and ready for studying. I typically start studying a week ahead, printing my notes, re-watching lectures, or reading textbook chapters. I use a different color pen to add extra notes or rephrase content for better understanding. I keep reviewing my notes.
Prioritize sufficient sleep.
Avoid all-nighters that strain your brain due to excessive studying. Sleep is vital for academic performance and memory. Instead of cramming right before the exam, stick to your established study routine so you can get a good night’s sleep before the test.
Test anxiety remains a challenge for me, but I use these steps during exam season to manage it. These methods help me focus on my well-being before overwhelming my mind with information. Remember: You can’t pay attention to anything else if you don’t prioritize yourself first.
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Test Anxiety and Nursing Prerequisites
Test anxiety can be an enemy when trying to achieve a perfect grade or mark. It isn’t just a little bit of nervousness before an exam, it can ruin your perspective – if you let it. Symptoms of test anxiety include excessive sweating, rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, headache, feeling faint, self-doubt, fear, stress, anger, and hopelessness. It can make it very difficult to concentrate and focus on the task. It can make it hard to choose between different answers on a test and make you forget everything you just studied for hours.
I struggle with test anxiety, and I have been struggling with it since I started university. I would struggle with it in high school but I didn’t know it was a real problem or could turn into one. I failed Anatomy & Physiology the first time because of my test anxiety. I would second-guess myself when trying to decipher between a few options to a question. I would forget everything I just worked so hard on. Test anxiety put me in a dark place and made me question if nursing was for me. When I sat down with myself and thought about what was happening with myself, I decided and chose to bounce back. I may have questioned my studying strategies, but thanked God that I never gave up!
Here are some tips that helped me and might help you deal with test anxiety and never second-guess your dream:
Learn your learning style and study efficiently.
Take an online quiz to find out your learning style and what strategy works the best for you. Finding out if you are a visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and/or reading/writing learner will help you study correctly and help to retain information.
Establish a studying routine.
Every time you have an exam, you should be consistent with a routine for studying. Following the same steps in each exam will help you get ready for the test. It will help you feel more prepared and more comfortable with studying. I usually will start studying a week in advance and print out all of the notes. I will re-watch the lecture videos or re-read the chapters in the textbook. I will take another color pen and make more notes that I may have missed or rewrite them in another way to help fully understand the material. I will keep reading my notes.
Get enough sleep.
Do not pull all-nighters and burn out your brain because of studying. Sleep is the most important thing you can do for academic performance and memory. Instead of cramming studying in at the last moment, follow your study routine in advance so the night before your exam, you can sleep like a baby!
Test anxiety is something I will always deal with, but I can use these few steps when it comes to exam season. These will help me focus on myself before cramming my brain with information. Remember: You can’t focus on something else if you don’t focus on yourself first.
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