@Hopeforfuture12
Read well before a week like the test is before one week of actual one
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Hello Hope! My sister has terrible test anxiety, and at some instances, I do as well. I had to take the ACT a while back, and boy: you could not pay me to do that again. However, what I find helps me best at combatting this anxiety is by finding your angle of control. What can you control in that situation? Unfortunately, you won't be able to know the questions exactly in advance (that would have made many finals easier for me, but alas...) But! Don't let that uncertainty get you down, because you have something much more powerful: you have the answers. Studying, in these cases, helps me. But saying: "just study" doesn't feel all that helpful. So here's what I do! 1.) Keep in mind the general tones of your tests. Some teachers focus on multiple choice, some like essay portion, some are vocab heavy. Study every test like they're essay tests. It's been proven that studying like you would for an essay test is the most effective method of studying. Pretend like you're writing an essay for every test. Know which points your teachers want you to hit, and hit them. 2. Take good notes When I feel good about the amount of info I have in my notes, that gives me peace of mind. Truly understanding the information makes taking the test so much easier; find some level of interest in the topic at hand. Find some relevance. How do you find relevance in something dry and boring? I always think about how I could include it in a story that I am writing about/could write about. How this information would shape the character, how it would shape the plot, etc. Would Tony Stark have done well at Plato's The Academy? Etc :) it's silly, but it works for me. 3.) VISUALIZE oh my goodness!!! Visualizing helps me so much. There's this method of memorization called The Method of Loci (better know as Sherlock's Memory Palace) thst will help you memorize things with visualization. Google it: it's incredibly helpful. There's plenty of other study habits you can do of course; Pinterest has a million and one, and I'm sure you could find a thousand books on studying. I realize test anxiety is deeper than: "I didn't study enough" but I really think, honestly, that understanding the material at hand is so beneficial at combating this anxiety. The more you know your stuff, the better. There's a disclaimer though: If you fail, and you fail miserably, that's okay too. I put so much pressure on myself to do perfectly. I had to get the best possible score, or else I wasn't worth anything as a human anymore. That is an awful thought cycle, that added to the stress of the whole ordeal: I sincerely hope you do not do this, because I understand how painful it is. You are a human, and even computers-- built for their accuracy-- make mistakes. It's okay. You cannot be perfect every time, but you have control over whether or not you choose to learn from your mistakes. Choose to learn from your mistakes. If you're scared about getting into your dream school, or one thing or another, remember that failure is pivitol to succeeding at college. Fail now; learn how to fail. Because you will inevitably fail, and that's okay: failure doesn't make you any less human. You are the bearer of the pen, and as long as you feel like you know the material, you will do amazingly. I know you will do wonderful things, regardless of your grades. I do hope this helps :) have a nice one