5 Ways to Beat Test Anxiety

Are you planning to take the OET exam? Is the pressure of preparing for such a high-stakes exam starting to get to you? Worried that this is a sign that you won’t perform well despite weeks of intensive and productive OET Baguio review? Don’t be. It’s normal to feel anxiety while training for a life-changing test. What’s important is that you don’t let it derail your test preparations.

Acknowledging the Symptoms
This is the first thing you need to do to keep test-related anxiety at bay during your OET review. Acknowledge its symptoms. They have three kinds: physical, cognitive/behavioral, and emotional. Read on to learn what each includes.

• Physical Symptoms: difficulty in breathing, feeling lightheaded, excessive sweating, dry mouth, headache, palpitations, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

• Cognitive/Behavioral Symptoms: fidgeting, lack of concentration, mental blocks, memory lapses, mood swings, and having unhealthy coping mechanisms (e.g., deliberate avoidance of test-related activities, taking downers, etc.). 

• Emotional Symptoms: having irrational and crippling feelings of stress, fear, self-doubt, inadequacy, and hopelessness.

If you do nothing about it, test anxiety can hinder your test preparations and keep you from achieving your grade goals. So, don’t ignore these signs. Pay attention to how you deal with stress and anxiety during your OET Baguio classes.

Beating Test Anxiety
Test anxiety is common among OET exam takers. So, don’t be alarmed if you’re experiencing some of its symptoms. Integrate the following tips into your OET preparations to keep it under control. 

1. Be positive. Failed to ace the latest mock test facilitated by your OET Baguio center? Don’t let it get to you. Acknowledge your mistakes and let them motivate you to do better. Don’t make your review performance the basis of your self-worth. Likewise, don’t compare your results with that of your OET review classmates’.

2. Acknowledge your achievements. Don’t fixate on your lapses. Celebrate your accomplishments. Reward yourself whenever you exceed your expectations and/or finish tasks ahead of time. It’ll do wonders for your self-esteem.

3. Be prepared. Don’t leave anything to chance. Think your listening/reading/writing/speaking skills are not refined enough to get you a high score in the test? Practice it. Find out everything you can about the exam. Consider enrolling in an OET review center. Having OET experts teach you everything you need to ace the test will reinforce your confidence and alleviate exam-related anxiety.

4. Eat well. Fuel up before you engage in intensive OET review sessions. Avoid eating sugary food as they can make you more susceptible to memory lapses. Stick to filling meals and nutritious snacks to maintain your energy without diminishing your cognitive faculties.

5. Get enough rest. Pulling all-nighters or staying up late will only exacerbate your nerves. Get at least eight hours of sleep per night. Otherwise, take naps during the day to compensate.

Don’t let exam-related anxiety hamper your chances of OET success. Include these tips into your OET review even if you’re dealing with the test’s demands and pressures well.

References:

“10 Ways to Beat Test Anxiety.” Willamette. Accessed November 12, 2018. http://willamette.edu/offices/lcenter/resources/study-strategies/beattestanxiety.html

“10 Ways to Overcome Test Anxiety.” Princeton Review. Accessed November 12, 2018. https://www.princetonreview.com/college-advice/test-anxiety

Cherry, Kendra. "How to Know if You Have Test Anxiety & 7 Ways to Beat It." Verywell. Accessed November 12, 2018. https://www.verywell.com/the-symptoms-of-test-anxiety-2795367.

Gotter, Ana. "What Is Test Anxiety?" Healthline. April 14, 2017. Accessed November 12, 2018. http://www.healthline.com/health/test-anxiety#symptoms2.

"Test Anxiety." Anxiety and Depression Association of America, ADAA. Accessed November 12, 2018. https://www.adaa.org/living-with-anxiety/children/test-anxiety.

"Test Anxiety." Test Anxiety | Academic Skills Center: Study Skills Library | Cal Poly. Accessed November 12, 2018. http://sas.calpoly.edu/asc/ssl/testanxiety.html.

“Top 49 Ways to Beat Test Anxiety [Report].” Mometrix. Accessed November 12, 2018. https://www.mometrix.com/blog/top-49-ways-to-beat-test-anxiety/