ACT Test: How to Reduce Test Anxiety
Many parents have come to me and expressed their frustration that their son or daughter is a straight A student but keeps bombing on major tests like the ACT.
Their concern is that their student needs a good ACT test score to get into the college of their choice, but while they are a straight A student in every other aspect of school, it just sees that tests make them freeze up.
What Are the Roots of Test Anxiety? Test anxiety has its roots in any combination of three causes: psychological, physiological, and intellectual.
Let's look at intellectual first.
Many students simply study the wrong way so that when they need to recall information during a test, they just can't call it up.
While most people (about 60%) learn visually, the rest do much better HEARING the information or "experiencing" the information through stories and anecdotes.
For these learners, it is very frustrating trying to fit into an academic world where books and other "visual" learning dominates.
By discovering your combination of the three learning styles, you can greatly increase your retention of information and reduce test anxiety.
Physiological reasons behind test anxiety are very powerful and yet very simple and easy to overcome.
The biggest culprit in this area is shallow breathing which makes the brain slower and creates headaches and neck aches.
By learning some very powerful breathing techniques, you can ensure that your brain gets all the oxygen it needs.
During a test, your brain can use as much as 50% of the oxygen you breathe, so it is no small wonder that a nervous, shallow breather will have a lot of difficulty on tests.
Psychological causes behind test anxiety are the most commonly known and yet the most ineffectively dealt with.
Repeating positive affirmations and "just don't worry" advice are very ineffective and even insulting.
Instead, a very structured regimen of confidence building steps needs to be undertaken to take the fear away.
Overcoming Test Anxiety is a major component of the College Exam Tutor ACT test prep course.
It is video-based and available online and something worth checking out.
Their concern is that their student needs a good ACT test score to get into the college of their choice, but while they are a straight A student in every other aspect of school, it just sees that tests make them freeze up.
What Are the Roots of Test Anxiety? Test anxiety has its roots in any combination of three causes: psychological, physiological, and intellectual.
Let's look at intellectual first.
Many students simply study the wrong way so that when they need to recall information during a test, they just can't call it up.
While most people (about 60%) learn visually, the rest do much better HEARING the information or "experiencing" the information through stories and anecdotes.
For these learners, it is very frustrating trying to fit into an academic world where books and other "visual" learning dominates.
By discovering your combination of the three learning styles, you can greatly increase your retention of information and reduce test anxiety.
Physiological reasons behind test anxiety are very powerful and yet very simple and easy to overcome.
The biggest culprit in this area is shallow breathing which makes the brain slower and creates headaches and neck aches.
By learning some very powerful breathing techniques, you can ensure that your brain gets all the oxygen it needs.
During a test, your brain can use as much as 50% of the oxygen you breathe, so it is no small wonder that a nervous, shallow breather will have a lot of difficulty on tests.
Psychological causes behind test anxiety are the most commonly known and yet the most ineffectively dealt with.
Repeating positive affirmations and "just don't worry" advice are very ineffective and even insulting.
Instead, a very structured regimen of confidence building steps needs to be undertaken to take the fear away.
Overcoming Test Anxiety is a major component of the College Exam Tutor ACT test prep course.
It is video-based and available online and something worth checking out.
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