College Counsellor

Exams and Anxiety - a perfect match?

Summary

• Situational Anxiety increases motivation and alertness
• Cognitive distortions lack evidence and should be challenged
• Positive self-talk can counteract this negative thinking, and increase self-confidence

Some things partner well: bacon and eggs, movies and popcorn, winter and fireplaces. Two things that always seem to join forces are exams and anxiety. Are they destined to always go hand-in-hand or can we have a test without being stressed?

Well, it depends. It is perfectly normal and actually helpful to experience situational anxiety prior to an exam. It can increase our motivation to prepare prior to a test and be ready for it. And when we walk into that exam room, the action of our adrenal glands and sympathetic nervous system can see us benefit from an increase in alertness and presence in the moment. [1]

However, being human, sometimes we let our thoughts get away with us in what is know as cognitive distortions. These are irrational thoughts that tend to be negative and lack evidence. Leading up to a test, students may hold cognitive distortions such as:

• “I’m going to fail!”
• “If I don’t get an A, I’m worthless.”
• “All my classmates are smarter than me. There’s no way I’ll do well on this test.”
• “I never do well on tests, so I won’t do well on this one.”
• “I passed the first test, but only because it was easy.”
• “If I don’t do well on this test, I’ll never get a job.”
• “The teacher doesn’t like me, so he’ll probably give me a bad grade

Where’s the evidence?

Once students identify cognitive distortions that are harmful, they can challenge them by examining the evidence and counteracting with positive self-talk. Instead of the negative cognitive distortions above, below are some examples of positive self-talk:

• “I’m well-prepared for this test.”
• “I’m going to do my best.”
• “I can get through this.”
• “This is going to be okay.”
• “Tests are never as bad as I think they’ll be.”
• “Even though I’m anxious, I can still do well.”
• “I’ll use relaxation skills to calm down.”
• “I can see myself passing this test.” [2]

Take Action:

• Make your own list of positive self-talk and put it somewhere you’ll see it every day – on a mirror, opposite your timetable, inside your lunchbox and repeat the statements every time you see the list. 

Sources:

3 Reasons Why Anxiety Is Good For You | Psychology Today

Treating Test Anxiety (Guide) | Therapist Aid