(based on a handout from Western Washington University Counseling Center)

Before the exam:

• Prepare. Know the material well, but do not overstudy. Do not raise your anxiety level by obsessing over it for days and nights on end.
• Keep to your normal routine before the test, including sleep, meals, and caffeine.
• Plan on not knowing. Avoid setting yourself up by expecting to know immediately how to solve every problem correctly.

During the exam:

• Slow down. Inhale deeply, then exhale slowly taking twice as much time as the inhale, to help when your mind is racing.
• Glance through the entire test first. Note approximately how much time can be allocated to each problem.
• Start with the easiest problem, or the problem about which you feel the most confidence.
• Read each carefully, so you are sure you understand what is given and what is being asked. Keep your mind on the goal of each problem; don’t let small detail derail you.
• Work at a steady, productive pace. Don’t watch the clock, but move on with a fresh start once the time you have allocated to each problem has elapsed. On the other hand, don’t let your brain start working on the next problem before its time.
• Be patient. When a solution won’t come immediately to mind, relax, have patience, and don’t force it. If needed, move on and come back to that problem later.
• Avoid distractions:
  • Use self-talk and visual images that enhance your focus, not those that create anxiety. Some people find that naming the negative self-talk voice and then saying firmly, “Not now, ________!” helps to quiet it.
  • Accept physical symptoms of anxiety. They will not interfere with your performance.
  • Ignore the students working beside you. How fast they work is irrelevant. Ignore other students who finish (or give up) and leave before you are done.
  • Don’t erase. You may change your mind about incorrect work, so neatly cross it out instead.

Apply these strategies one by one. Don’t overwhelm yourself by trying to apply all of them at once. Improvement and coping are the goals, not perfection or mastery of all anxiety.