A couple of days ago, I was at a volunteer training session, where we would go around and come up with one adjective that best describes ourselves at the moment. We do this at the beginning of every training session as a warm-up exercise. And while the vast majority of our adjectives fell between \u201ctired\u201d and \u201cexhausted\u201d, I realized – it\u2019s \u201cthat\u201d time of the year.<\/p>\n
Yes, you guessed it, it\u2019s midterm season. It\u2019s the time of the year where Vancouver starts to get gloomy, where it starts raining, where everyone around you suddenly decides to fell ill at the same time, and where midterm exams strike back-to-back.<\/p>\n
If you are currently a university student, chances are you are fairly familiar with the exam process. You know what to do during an exam and what to expect. But still, you are worried. What if you fail? What if you spend hours studying the wrong material? What if you jot down the wrong exam date or place?…<\/p>\n
For the most part, it is normal to feel anxious before an exam. In fact, an optimal level of anxiety can motivate your study and improve your performance. But every so often, some of us can get so anxious our minds stop working. If your mind is not working, obviously, you are not going to do well on an exam; not to mention it\u2019s also an unpleasant feeling to have to endure.<\/p>\n
Fortunately, test anxiety is common enough for it to be studied quite extensively by psychologists and other researchers in the field of education. There are a ton of self-help techniques, both on the internet and elsewhere, that can help you deal with different levels of test anxiety. If it gets too intense, counseling is always another option. Just remember: you are not alone on this, and there are things you can do about it.<\/p>\n
Here is an (over)simplified list of things you could do:<\/p>\n
More self-help tips:<\/p>\n
http:\/\/www.anxietybc.com\/sites\/default\/files\/Test_Anxiety_Booklet.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n http:\/\/www.how-to-study.com\/study-skills\/en\/47.asp<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n UBC resources:<\/p>\n Counseling service http:\/\/www.students.ubc.ca\/livewelllearnwell\/counselling-services\/<\/a><\/p>\n