Is An "All-Nighter" The Answer?

"The more prepared you are, the less anxious you'll be." This advice could apply to any high pressure situation. But in this case, it's wise advice for students facing test-taking anxiety. Being prepared not only means bringing the proper test materials to class like a scan-tron form or a blue book, but it includes getting a good night's sleep, too.

Pulling an all-nighter isn't the answer.

After a certain amount of study time, the brain doesn't retain the information anyway. The smart approach is to look over the class notes every day. This build up of knowledge makes the information familiar to students and is actually part of prepping for the exam.

On the day of the test get to the room early to pick out a seat, organize test materials and take some deep breaths. Eating a snack also helps. It keeps the stomach from gurgling, which distracts from the test-taking. Speaking of distractions. There are fewer of them in the front of the room. Choose a seat closer to the professor so exam instructions can be heard and questions during the exam can be asked without a lot of commotion.

The key for anxious students is to be comfortable enough with the material so that they can go in there and nail it!

Content provided by Oakland University.