How to soothe anxiety and ace your next test
Our executive functioning coaches often work on study strategies to build confidence before a test. Still, anxiety is a very normal part of test-taking. Today, we’re excited to hear from Sonia Lal, founder of Ivy League Potential, about strategies to help with test-taking anxiety.
SOOTHE ANXIETY AND ACE YOUR NEXT TEST
Have you ever “blanked out” during a test, unable to remember the facts or put words onto paper? If you have, you’re not alone. Test anxiety is a very common phenomenon.
In our college counseling work, we encounter many students with test anxiety. They study hard for the test, engage in intelligent discussions, and write excellent papers. But during the test, they freeze. In such cases, we help students develop a plan of action to deal with test anxiety so they can ace their tests at school.
Two of our favorite, and often underutilized, techniques to deal with test anxiety are creative visualization and the 4-7-8 breathing exercise.
CREATIVE VISUALIZATION:
You may have heard that professional athletes use creative visualization for peak performance. (Phil Jackson, who coached the Chicago Bulls to victory, once clearly acknowledged that “Visualization is an important tool”.)
But athletes are not the only ones who use visualization for peak performance. Many of our students have successfully used creative visualization to deal with test anxiety. Most recently, one of our students used visualization to boost her ACT score by 5 points (she was later admitted to Cornell University).
Many of our students have successfully used creative visualization to deal with test anxiety.
Here are the essentials of creative visualization for test anxiety (adapted from Shakti Gawain’s book Creative Visualization):
Pick a goal. It might be something like “I will get an A on the biology test”.
Make an affirmation out of it. State it in a simple sentence, in the present tense, as if it were already true. For example: “I consistently ace all my biology tests.”
Picture your goal and feel it as if it were already true. It’s helpful to close your eyes and just pretend or imagine what things would be like if it were true. Don’t worry if you can’t picture the scenario clearly - just feel it or imagine it in whatever way is easiest for you. For example, imagine the smile on your face and the pride you feel when you see the “A” grade on your exam.
Consciously let go of your goal. This means you don’t “try” to make it happen stressfully. You still have to study for the test, of course. But pace yourself and make sure you give yourself enough time to do so—that way it won’t be unnecessarily stressful. After you study, just relax and go about your life.
Create a detailed vision board showing yourself having achieved your goal:
Use visual pictures to form a clear sharp, image (drawings, paintings, and collages are excellent)
Show yourself in a real setting if possible (sitting at your desk in biology class)
Show the ideal, as if it already exists (holding the graded exam with an “A” on it)
Use lots of color
Include affirmations
Spend a few minutes each day quietly looking at it, and every once in a while throughout the day give it a thought.
Start your vision board several days in advance, when you are not stressed and anxious, so that you learn to get into “the zone” easily (feeling pride and seeing the smile on your face).
THE 4-7-8 BREATHING EXERCISE:
The 4-7-8 breathing exercise has been popularized by Harvard-trained physician Dr. Andrew Weil and is an excellent tool to help soothe mild to moderate anxiety. Many of our students with test anxiety have done this exercise, and it’s worked wonders for them on test day (especially when it’s combined with creative visualization). By practicing this exercise daily (well in advance of the test day), you will build stamina, experience less anxiety in the long run, and be able to calm your nerves easily both before and during a test. To learn the exercise, watch an 8-minute video with Dr. Weil.
About the author:
Sonia Lal, M.Ed, is a former Harvard admissions interviewer and founder of Ivy League Potential, a world-class college counseling firm that helps high school students get into America’s top universities. Click here to receive a free college admissions blueprint and stay updated on workshops for 8th – 12th grade students.
