How To Be An Effective Test Taker
Start writing a post
Health and Wellness

How To Be An Effective Test Taker

Why "take a deep breath" is so important for test anxiety.

73
How To Be An Effective Test Taker

We are about to enter the third week of school, and I know I already have quizzes and exams coming up in the near future. So, how do we manage the stress of an upcoming test without making ourselves sick in the process of studying and taking the exam? As far as keeping your immune system in check before the test, it is important to eat right, sleep and hydrate. Then when taking the test, the solution is pretty cliché: take a deep breath.

As a student who has struggled with test taking since middle school, I know the pre-test jitters and anxieties all too well. Even if I spend night after night in the library studying for a test one week in advance, I still sit down to take it, and immediately, my heart starts to race and my brain seems to go into full power mode.

Many times, I have come out of testing and felt really exhausted and sick. I started to wonder why I usually felt so awful after an exam, and I learned it has to do with your body's stress response. I have started to recognize ways that help me manage my stress toward tests to become an effective test taker, and I hope they will help you all too.

What is an effective test taker? To me, an effective test taker is someone who has prepared fairly well before the test and takes the test with a certain level of calmness. Remaining calm during a test is key to not stressing out so much and to staying healthy.

This semester, I am taking a Health and Wellness course, and we just learned about stress responses, adrenaline and cortisol. When you are in a stressful situation, your body responds by releasing the stress hormones – adrenaline, epinephrin and cortisol – to help you through the situation. But if you are often stressed, your body has high levels of these stress hormones constantly, and they directly affect your health, cortisol being the worst.

I say that cortisol is the worst of the three because it does not go away quickly as adrenaline does. It stays in your body when you are stressed, so chronic stress means you always have high levels of this hormone. Cortisol influences your heart rate, immune response, blood sugar levels and blood pressure. So, your immune system response is dampened, meaning it is easy for you to get sick.

A test is just the thing to increase your cortisol levels, but there are two steps you can take to manage your stress and lower the level of cortisol in your body when taking a test: one, take a deep breath; and two, change your posture. When you take a deep breath and change your posture, you increase circulation which in turn cleanses and gets rid of the cortisol.

Essentially, being an effective test taker is being good at managing your stress. There are so many ways to manage stress that are simple and easy such as yoga and exercise, just to name two. Hopefully, this article put into perspective how stress affects your body and your health and gives you a chance to study for and take your next test while managing your stress.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Student Life

Waitlisted for a College Class? Here's What to Do!

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life.

41973
college students waiting in a long line in the hallway
StableDiffusion

Course registration at college can be a big hassle and is almost never talked about. Classes you want to take fill up before you get a chance to register. You might change your mind about a class you want to take and must struggle to find another class to fit in the same time period. You also have to make sure no classes clash by time. Like I said, it's a big hassle.

This semester, I was waitlisted for two classes. Most people in this situation, especially first years, freak out because they don't know what to do. Here is what you should do when this happens.

Keep Reading...Show less
a man and a woman sitting on the beach in front of the sunset

Whether you met your new love interest online, through mutual friends, or another way entirely, you'll definitely want to know what you're getting into. I mean, really, what's the point in entering a relationship with someone if you don't know whether or not you're compatible on a very basic level?

Consider these 21 questions to ask in the talking stage when getting to know that new guy or girl you just started talking to:

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

Challah vs. Easter Bread: A Delicious Dilemma

Is there really such a difference in Challah bread or Easter Bread?

26377
loaves of challah and easter bread stacked up aside each other, an abundance of food in baskets
StableDiffusion

Ever since I could remember, it was a treat to receive Easter Bread made by my grandmother. We would only have it once a year and the wait was excruciating. Now that my grandmother has gotten older, she has stopped baking a lot of her recipes that require a lot of hand usage--her traditional Italian baking means no machines. So for the past few years, I have missed enjoying my Easter Bread.

Keep Reading...Show less
Adulting

Unlocking Lake People's Secrets: 15 Must-Knows!

There's no other place you'd rather be in the summer.

951571
Group of joyful friends sitting in a boat
Haley Harvey

The people that spend their summers at the lake are a unique group of people.

Whether you grew up going to the lake, have only recently started going, or have only been once or twice, you know it takes a certain kind of person to be a lake person. To the long-time lake people, the lake holds a special place in your heart, no matter how dirty the water may look.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Top 10 Reasons My School Rocks!

Why I Chose a Small School Over a Big University.

136506
man in black long sleeve shirt and black pants walking on white concrete pathway

I was asked so many times why I wanted to go to a small school when a big university is so much better. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure a big university is great but I absolutely love going to a small school. I know that I miss out on big sporting events and having people actually know where it is. I can't even count how many times I've been asked where it is and I know they won't know so I just say "somewhere in the middle of Wisconsin." But, I get to know most people at my school and I know my professors very well. Not to mention, being able to walk to the other side of campus in 5 minutes at a casual walking pace. I am so happy I made the decision to go to school where I did. I love my school and these are just a few reasons why.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments