If you’ve got an exam coming up and you’re feeling stressed, don’t worry — this is normal and something most people experience. I often suggest that my students repeat to themselves, “Things will be okay, I have prepared for this and I will give it my best”. Here are some additional tips to help relieve some of your test taking anxiety:
1. Understand the importance of the night before. Plan to get plenty of rest (we’re talking 6 to 8 hours!) so that you can stay more focused and relaxed the next morning. Review your notes or take practice exams if you have them available to you. Be sure you’re not attempting to memorize the questions – this messes with your memory and falsely prepares you for the exam content! You’ll also want to confirm your appointment time and location the night before so that you can ensure you know exactly where to go to take your exam.
2. Prep, prep, and prep! This includes breakfast, locating the proper identification (you’ll need two forms of current signature identification).
3. Arrive on time. Better yet, arrive 30 minutes before your scheduled appointment time. You won’t have to worry about traffic or getting the kids on the bus, and you’ll feel less flustered and rushed. Trust me on this one. Not to mention, if you actually arrive late, you won’t even get to take the test!
4. Take the time to read the instructions. Take a few minutes to read the test instructions before you begin. This will keep you from making simple mistakes and guarantee you don’t waste time going back through your questions.
5. Don’t rush. Remember, you have plenty of time. That being said, don’t spend too much time on one question. Find a good pace and stick with it. Read each question and all possible answer choices very carefully. Your exam may contain between 50-150 questions, with a time limit of 1-3 hours depending on your state. Pay special attention to terms/phrases such as “everything except, all is true but, which is “not”, all, never, always. Last but not least, quickly eliminate obviously wrong answers
6. Focus on the stuff you know. Answer the questions you know as you read them, and then “mark” the questions you are unsure of so that you can go back and review them at the end of the exam. If you have the time, review all of your answers. If an answer doesn’t come to you after you go back to review it, make an educated guess (which is better than a blank space!). If you are really drawing a blank, trust your gut – it’s usually right!
7. Manage your time. If you have managed your time well, you will have a few minutes to go back over your exam. Look it over, think about answers and use your remaining time wisely.
I always say, you will accomplish what you believe in. Believe in yourself and your abilities – you can succeed at anything you work hard at!
Tamara Gatson
President, Gatson Training Associates
Founder, insurancelicensenow.com