Conquering Test-Day Jitters

• BE CONFIDENT
• Envision yourseld in a situation you find challenging and invigorating; a soccer player might imagine scoring a goal or a mountain climber might envision herself topping a ridge. Then switch your mental image to the testing roomand imagine yourself feeling the same way.
• Write down fears and anxieties before the test to free working memory and preventing distractions during the test.
• To combat self-doubts (such as "I'm bad in math"), remind yourself of proen personal traits and strengths that can propel you to success.
• Practice in advance facing all the pressures you will face on exam day, such as driving to the testing center or visiting an unfamiliar testing room.
• Test yourself by recalling broad concepts rather than trying to memorize facts or re-reading textbooks.
• Before the test, envision yourself answering questions calmly and with confidence.

How to do Your Best on the Big Test

1. Review the hardest material right before bedtime. Going to sleep right away consolidates the information in your memory.
2. Turn off music, text messages, TV and email. Distractions make you less likely to remeber material you were studying at the time.
3. Test yourself repeatedly. Students remeber more when they force themselves to retrieve concepts than when they simply re-read the textbook or their notes.
4. Eat oatmeal for beakfast. Balanced, slow-digesting diet provides a sustained flow of glucose to the brain.