Some students think college tests are too hard. Others have a habit of falling asleep while reading from a textbook.
But many students at the Counseling Center’s Taming Your Test Anxiety workshop said simply going blank when the test is given out was the sole problem.
“By doing workshops, we can provide this information to a large group of students in just a few hours,” Licensed Professional Counselor Lori Arnold said. “Workshops are one way the Counseling Center can serve the student body.”
According to the Counseling Center, 20 percent of college students may suffer from nervousness.
“I don’t know what is about multiple choice tests, but every time I look at a scantron I go blank,” freshman Stefanie Houston said. “It’s insane that no matter how much I study, when the test is in front of me everything I’ve learned leaves me.”
Vikki Chaviers, Counseling Center licensed professional counselor, described anxiety as an uneasiness of the mind caused by fear. This academic workshop dealt with students fear and anxiety surrounding academic performance.
Chaviers told students stories from her undergraduate experience where she also suffered from test anxiety.
“I had a professor who told me, ‘when you go in and take a test and your mind goes blank, just sign your name on the test, hand it in and walk out of the door. Then you will remember everything,” Chaviers said.
Chaviers said going blank before a test is one of the many excuses students make to explain their test anxiety.
“Stress and fear take a lot of energy,” Chaviers said. “Whatever our thoughts take us, that’s how we are going to feel emotionally, physically and mentally.”
Anxiety comes up before tests have even been handed out because of negative self talk and worry, Chaviers said.
In her presentation, Chaviers explained the learning pyramid and said the average retention rate after 24 hours increases to 50 percent when students have study groups.
Students thinking college tests are too hard or that they’ve never been very good students are other justifications students make to explain their lack of test taking skills.
“High school teachers make sure you get assignments done and are prepared for tests,” Chaviers said. “College professors throw (the information) out there and leave the rest all up to the students.”
Houston said the main reason why she struggled her first semester at Midwestern was that she was used to getting a test review from her high school teachers before every test.
Chaviers said many students get frustrated when questions from a test review aren’t on the test or when a professor doesn’t give out a review at all.
“When I was an undergrad, test reviews didn’t exist,” Chaviers said. “That meant you were responsible for everything.”
Arnold said some professors use test banks from a textbook instead of creating their own tests.
“I think test anxiety is a common problem among students are Midwestern,” Arnold said. “I think it is fair to say that most students have struggled with test anxiety at some point in their academic career. The same skills needed to reduce test anxiety can be used to reduce anxiety in other areas of life.”
Chaviers advises students with test anxiety issues to contact the Counseling Center and make an appointment with a therapist.
The Counseling Center also deals with other academic difficulties including stress and time management, study and test-taking skills and attention and concentration problems.
