Just Believe in yourself. Even if you don’t pretend that you do and at some point you will ————Venus Williams
The literal or dictionary definition of the word test or exam is, an assessment intended to measure a person’s knowledge, skill, aptitude etc. Test taking makes everyone nervous whether it’s a kid or an adult. Parents always tell their children to relax during their exams, but the parents forget that they also went through that phase. Being a bit nervous and worried before a test is natural. Sometimes this helps keep people on their toes while they’re taking the test or preparing for it.
While, on the other hand for some people the stress of tests /exams turns out to be more intense and meddle with their efficiency and of effort.
Tests such as AIMS, AZ Merit, AZELLA, Benchmarks etc. are often displayed and over-glorified as a one-time chance to be successful. Victor Beltran a 7th grader says, “As students, we stress over exams.” Teachers and Parents consciously or subconsciously repeatedly remind their kids to take an extra precaution when answering these tests as to not fail or to get a lower grade than desired. Kids are also asked not to play or to minimize their play time during exam time. Having to be constantly reminded about not making even a simple error causes anxiety and makes the students doubt themselves when it comes to actually taking the test. These emotions can make one overwhelmed to a point where it interferes with one’s self-confidence.
Xixtlaly Casrto a 8th grade student says “I believe that wanting to not disappoint others and ourselves is a very significant motivation when it comes to studying and preparing for a test. However, that motivation may also be a cause of why students stress over exams. Wanting nothing more but the best, not feeling good enough, and fear of failing are three main causes of affliction during test taking.”
The strategies mention below might prove to be a stress buster for kids/students.
• Go through all the class notes and study material beforehand.
• Breathing exercise(inhaling and exhaling) on the day of test will help the person to relax.
• Manage time wisely. One should be able to spend some leisure time while preparing for the test.
• Create a schedule.
• Sleep well before the day of exam
• Eat healthy and nutritious.
• If it’s a Mathematics test remember to review all formulae. Practice, practice, and practice is the key to be successful on Math test.
• For Reading test rereading/analyzing the text before answering the question is a powerful strategy. For multiple-choice questions, first read the title of the text, after that read the question and do not look at the choices yet. Third step write the question on a scratch paper, and try to figure out the answer to the question while reading. As soon as one find the answer write it on a scratch paper and lastly go through all the choices and see which of the choice matches best with the answer written on the piece of paper. This technique will help you make sure that the choice selected is the right answer.
• Double check the answers .
• On a Writing test make sure the procedure is followed: read the prompt carefully, identify whether it’s a narrative, informative, expository, or argumentative writing, after identifying plan it on a graphic organizer, write the rough draft, review it, and then write the final draft
• Most importantly trust/ believe yourself. And keep reminding yourself that “I CAN DO IT !”
Ivyer Villalobos a middle school student says, “A way students make themselves feel relieved prior to a test would be to study nonstop, believing that the information will stay in mind till the day of the test. They stress themselves to remember every single little detail. Nonetheless, some students conclude to relaxation as a form of comfort. In addition to the statement made before however, some students disregard and feel apathetic towards tests. Uncaringly they would rather give their attention to social media and other minor, less important subjects.”
Here are some online helplines which may help to lessen the stress level in kids:
Kids Helpline – 1800 55 1800
So, this year lets make the test season easy on us, and make sure that we are successful without being too stressed.
Stay calm and composite!
Good luck for the exams, Be safe!
