Psychologists share secrets for test-taking success

With midterms and standardized exam dates rapidly approaching, some students are taking the time to brush up on helpful study techniques and test taking skills.

According to experts, learning a few critical techniques for the preparation and execution of exams can reduce anxiety and increase performance.

Andrea Greenwood and Amanda Tyson, both psychologists at the counseling center at UB, present a test anxiety workshop once a semester sponsored by the "food for thought" program at UB.

The workshops' purpose is to help students reduce their anxiety and better prepare for everything from everyday quizzes to crucial standardized exams such as the LCAT, MCAT, or GRE.

As discussed at the workshop, test anxiety can greatly diminish test performance, even for students who have good study habits and are well prepared for tests.

Common characteristics of test anxiety are "blanking out," or not remembering what was studied, not being able to focus on the test, or that feeling of having done poorly because of nervousness or stress.

Although popular among students, procrastination is not a good method, according to Greenwood.

"If you have a 9 a.m. test the following morning, don't start studying at 3 a.m. that night," she said.

Instead, she suggests that getting into a regular studying routine and planning ahead will increase test-taking performance.

Finding an ideal time of day or night is important for successful studying. Studying too late at night after a day's stress can greatly reduce one's attention span, Tyson said.

According to Tyson, figuring out how much time is needed to prepare, and eliminating personal distractions such as e-mail, AOL instant messenger, and telephones will ensure that valuable time is well spent.

Alternately, Greenwood suggests prioritizing study time to get the most out of the schedule.

"Instead of studying 10 hours the day before an exam, try reducing anxiety by giving yourself a couple hours a day for five days," she said.

Clairice Bakker, a senior biochemical pharmacology student, said she is experienced with prioritizing her schedule and maximizing her study time. Bakker organizes her time with "to-do lists," a day timer, and lots of files.

Bakker currently holds a 3.874 overall grade point average, and scored in the top five percentile on the MCAT she took for the second time last August.

Like many students at UB, juggling class, work and a social life leaves little time to study and prepare for exams. For example, last semester, Bakker's typical week involved attending 18 hours of classes, working around ten hours as a waitress at Bob Evans, teaching a Kaplan review course, volunteering at Children's hospital for four hours, volunteering at the behavioral neuroscience lab and spending around 15 hours a week working as president of her sorority, Kappa Phi Epsilon.

After all her activities, Bakker said she studies around 10 to 20 hours a week, but makes up for lost time by maximizing class time.

"I try and make the best of class time, and try to absorb as much as possible. What works best for me is to recopy my notes from lecture into a notebook at home, where I can reorganize and make sure I understand what we went over in class."

Bakker took the MCAT exam in April and August of last year and has already been accepted to a doctoral program at Syracuse University and the medical school at UB.

She advises those planning on taking standardized exams to familiarize themselves with test material to help reduce anxiety and increase performance.

"I think one of the most important things to do before a standardized exam is to research the type of questions, the content, and the amount of time you have for the test," she said. "That way you know what to expect, and can prepare physically and mentally for the situation."

Greenwood and Tyson also stressed the importance of being prepared as a way to reduce anxiety.

Proper preparation can be as simple as getting a good night's sleep, arriving early to an exam, or bringing an extra pencil and eating breakfast beforehand, Bakker said.

"Make sure you get a good night's rest, leave an hour before the exam, and don't eat anything that will upset your stomach in the morning," she said. "For short breaks (during the MCAT) I brought a Gatorade and Zone Bar to snack on."

According to Tyson creating good distractions can be helpful during stressful exams.

"Bring a bottle of water with you," she said. "If you don't know the information right away, take a minute to take some water and relax."

According to Greenwood, other calming techniques include writing "I know this material, and I know I'm prepared" on a piece of scrap paper during the exam. Simple relaxation skills such as deep breathing and rehearsing positive statements such as "I know this" can also make a big difference.

In addition, Greenwood said answering the most familiar questions first will create a boost of confidence. In the case of a "blank out" during the exam, she suggests students write down the familiar information instead of focusing on what they don't know.

"If you're well prepared, writing down what you know will help your brain make connections," she said. "Move through the test quickly, answering what you know, then go back when you're feeling more confident. Doing this triggers recall for related topics and helps build confidence."

According to Tyson, taking note of study techniques before the exam and relaxation techniques during can be a great help, but like most other things, it boils down to what works best for the individual.

"Learn about yourself - find the time of day that works best for you, and which aspects of studying you struggle with most," she said.