The Light Center, College of the Redwoods

I suspect that most of us remember that queasy feeling in the pit of our stomach when exam time approached. It’s hard to forget the tossing and turning the night before, not to mention the sweaty palms as we walked into the exam hall. It seems for a moment that our entire lives depended upon your performance on that particular exam. Well, it’s that time of year for the students at CR.

While we are unlikely to be able to eliminate that fear in students, the building of a student’s confidence in what he/she does know does not fall completely upon that student. There are some things that we as instructors can do, both from an instructional and from a support perspective.

• One very useful technique is to provide a review for the students. This not only reminds the student of material which may have been addressed at the beginning of the semester, but it also makes them realize in what areas they need to study. It affirms for them the knowledge that they have mastered, as well as remind them of the areas in which further study is needed. A review also motivates the student, making the task of studying seem less daunting.

• In your review session, use an open question format. This allows the students to determine the direction of the review, and it also may indicate to you as the instructor which areas have not been clearly understood by students. It also allows you to "try out" some of your questions or question formats in preparation for testing.

• Your review should be brief, allowing for a sampling of the material and the type of questions that the students will be faced with in the exam. Don’t allow it to drag out to use up an entire class period.

• Help the students put the material together. A final review is a great place to pull all the loose ends together, linking each part to the other part. Students tend to think in "parts", and by providing them with a mechanism to categorize and organize the information, student performance will improve.

The other role that instructors can play in the whole "exam anxiety" issue is to support the students. Many students have never learned or have forgotten some the techniques and strategies that they might employ to try to reduce their own anxiety. Providing the students with one class or even a hand out with anxiety reduction strategies could be valuable in reducing their sense of panic while writing for and taking your exam.

Comments? Questions? mailto:trish-blair@redwoods.edu

November 29, 1999

Here are some suggested techniques you can encourage your students to use when approaching exams.

• Eat properly before the exam
• Don’t study the night before the exam. Do something that is fun, such as going to a movie.
• Go to bed early the night before the exam.
• Don’t bring notes and text to the exam. It will create a desire to cram which can cause confusion and uncertainty.
• Read over the entire exam before beginning to answer. Address those questions to which the answers are known first, then go on to the ones of which you are unsure of the answer.
• Mild pain can reduce anxiety. Having an elastic band around the wrist, and lightly snapping it can divert attention away from anxiety.
• When anxiety builds, focusing on "something else" play their part. Mental games can be useful. An example would be counting the number of rows in the room, the number of students with blue jeans etc…
• Having something on the body which reminds the student of something or someone positive in their life can be comforting. A piece of jewelry or clothing would be an example.
• Guided imagery and self talk strategies are useful. Phrases like "I can do this" repeated over and over can have an amazing effect in reducing the anxiety level of the student.

We make a living by what we get,
but we make a life by what we give.
Sir Winston Churchill