10. How To Become A More Effective Student SERIES Part 5: Handling Test Anxiety and Note Taking
My Dear Friends, today, God is set to bless you by removing every
barrier against your academic success and fulfilment.
Friends, welcome to Intervention, an outreach of VISION BUILDERS
designed to help undergraduates contact divine intervention for academic
victories. Intervention brings you inspirational messages and Study Tips to
enable you be your best academically! Through this message, we believe that God
is set to bless you by removing every barrier against your academic success and
fulfillment.
Today, I present Part 5 - Handling Test
Anxiety and Note Taking, the final part in our series, ‘How To Become A More Effective Student’. Yu will find practical tips you can apply
to develop better study habits to achieve academic success. Parts 1-4 are
already on this blog.
Do
ensure you go through them once you’re done with Part
5 - Handling Test Anxiety and Note Taking. You don’t want to miss out on any part of
this series.
Anxiety is a result of not feeling in control of what we are about to
encounter. However you must remember that you are not alone. You may not feel
in-charge, but know that God is in charge and will work things out for your
good.
So How Can You Manage Test Anxiety?
1. Be Prepared! This is the best strategy for managing test
anxiety.
2. Get a good night sleep before the exam; studying into the late
night hours before an exam can result in making careless mistakes, among other
things.
3. Make sure to eat something before the exam, but avoid eating
junk food (high sugar foods). Healthy foods such as fruit and protein are best.
4. Arrive early to class. Give yourself time to do what you need to
do before the test begins.
5. Allow yourself time to relax before the exam. Avoid a last
minute "cram" session.
6. Do not discuss the test with classmates beforehand if you know
that this increases your anxiety level.
7. Sit in the front of the classroom so you are not as aware of how
many people have completed the exam before you.
8. Take your time on the test. There is not prize for finishing first.
9. Take a minute before you begin the test to review it and assess
how much time you will need. Pace yourself.
10. Read the directions carefully. Re-read them.
11. Before you begin the test, jot down key ideas that you might
forget.
12. If you freeze up, move on to another question and come back to
the question you missed later.
13. If you go blank on an essay question, start writing, it may jog
your memory.
14. Ask your professor for clarification on questions you are not
sure you are interpreting correctly.
15. Approach the test with a positive and realistic attitude. Aim
to do your best with what you know and do not beat yourself up for what you do
not know. Decide if there is something more/different you could do next time to
feel more prepared.
16. Stay focused on the test and not on what others are doing or
where they are on the test.
17. Try to relax. Stop to take a few deep breaths or to stretch if
needed.
18. Communicate with your instructor about your concerns.
19. Make yourself aware of the resources on campus that can assist
you.
20. Increase your memory power by making the information you are
learning meaningful. For example, group the information you need to know into
meaningful categories, associate it with information you already know, create
mental visualizations, say the ideas out loud in your own words, and
consolidate it by using the information while it is still fresh.
Next, let’s look closely at Note Taking.
Taking good notes
in class will make studying and preparing for tests much easier. Here are some
strategies for effective note taking.
Have an organized notebook or binder for each class and keep it clean. A
loose-leaf notebook allows you to add, remove, and re-sequence pages.
Keep the syllabus somewhere visible and refer to it often.
Date and include headings in your notes.
Leave white space in your notes in case you want to go back and add
something.
Number and bullet ideas (create sections to separate concepts). An
outline-type format works well for organizing ideas.
Identify the main ideas that need to be included in your notes. Do not
try to write down everything.
Understand what was said before writing it down.
Ask instructors to clarify or slow down if needed and when it seems appropriate.
Use the margins to clue yourself in when you are lost or for
"important" notes.
Have a symbol system to increase your writing speed. For example, w/ =
with, b/c = because.
Set up a "support system" with someone in class who can help
you with the notes if you are absent or unable to get down all of the
information.
Take time before, after, and in-between class to reflect on and review
your notes.
Predict questions that might appear on the exam and include both the
questions and answers in your notes. This will make for an easier review during
exam time.
I would like to stop here today. I believe I have given you quite a lot
of material to work with. Please feel free to send your comments and questions
to buildyourvisions@gmail.com and I promise to reply every mail via this
blog.
I believe that right now some of you have issues in their lives and academics that they
would like resolved. God is interested in resolving your issues. But… I need to
ask - DO YOU KNOW THE LORD JESUS? He cares about how well your academic life
moves. He wants to work in your life and academics. Did you know that he said
in John 10:10, that His purpose is to give you a rich and satisfying life.
Wouldn’t you like a rich and satisfying life?
You can start right now if you will simply invite Him in to your life.
Why not pray this simple prayer right now. Ask Him to come into your heart as
your Lord and personal Saviour. Pray these words: Lord Jesus I ask you into my heart today. I believe you died for my
sins and rose from the dead. Forgive all my sins today and make me your child.
Fill me with your holy spirit right now and bring stability into my life. Thank
you for coming. Amen.
The bible promises in Matthew 7:8 that everyone who asks in prayer will
receive. For you I pray to God: Dear
father, I pray that regardless of the perceived size of that problem my Reader
may be experiencing right now, this day and time, please bring it down today.
Amen.
And I believe He will!
Continue to expect the best
from yourself and continue to maintain a great attitude regardless whatever
happens.
I’ll be glad to hear from
you. Kindly send your testimonies, questions and prayer requests as responses
on this blog. If you’d like your friends, class mates and room-mates to be
helped by Intervention messages and
Study Tips, kindly share this message with them.
Thank you for joining me. I
remain your host Tope Banjo and this is Intervention.
God bless you mightily!
You will succeed. You will make it!
Contact:
Tel: +234 817 2239 319, Lagos-Nigeria.
………………….
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