Study Strategies that stop Test Anxiety in its Tracks
Uh-oh…It’s that moment. We’ve all been there before. You just realized you have a test tomorrow. Are you ready? Here are some study strategies that can help you become the best test taker ever!
Ahem…on to the study tips!
1. set a schedule
Have a specific day and time that you sit down and study. Don’t have anything specific to study for? Then organize your backpack, look over your notes, or watch youtube videos to help support what you are learning. Simply setting a scheduled time for yourself to study will have a HUGE impact on your school life. Write it on your calendar. Set a reminder in your phone. Make the effort to carve out this time for yourself. Make it a habit, and stick to it. Then you won’t have to crunch when it is test time.
2. make a self-created quiz
You get to “become the teacher” and make up questions that you think would be good for a test that “your students” are about to take. Finished? Good! Now take your own quiz. How did you do? It might seem silly, but it actually works to help seal in that information!
3. study with a friend
Pick a friend who is serious about studying and is not going to waste your time goofing off! Quiz each other. Make fill in the blank sentences, multiple choice questions, or flash cards together. Turn it into a trivia game and award each other points! Studying with someone else who is also learning the material will help because they might remember something or have information in their notes that you don’t, or vice versa.
4. use the 30/10 or 45/15 rule
I LOVE this one. Put distractions away. Get a timer. Set it for 30 minutes and STUDY! Once the timer buzzes, set it again for 10 minutes. Now put away your studies and RELAX. Meditate, watch tv, play outside, eat some ice cream – whatever! When 10 minutes is up, set it again for 30 minutes and repeat with studying.
Decide how many rounds of this you’ll need BEFORE beginning. You can also change the amount of time to 45 minutes studying and 15 minutes to relax. Or 60/20. The ratio to remember is 3:1 of study to relax time. This method works well because it gives your brain a chance to process all of that information and gets you up and moving frequently which provides more blood flow to your brain. The timer also gives you an attainable goal to shoot for, which can be very motivating.
5. make use of extrinsic motivation
Speaking of motivation – Having a hard time getting motivated? Bribe yourself! Set some small goals – “If I get X amount of studying done by X time, I get to treat myself to that cute new phone case I was eyeing.” or “I get to have a giant bowl of ice cream.” (What? I like ice cream!) This extrinsic motivation will help you get into the habit of studying. Eventually, this will develop into intrinsic motivation and soon, the feeling of confidence will be the only motivation you’ll need.
I love the timer strategy. This would really help with not burning out your brain and giving an opportunity to relax and soak in what you have learned.
This is awesome…thank you! I don’t have to study much but my middle school aged child does. She is ADHD so she struggles but these tips are going to be huge to help her stay on track and avoid the overwhelm. Thank you!