Oh the (test) anxiety...

where can i order a coffee drip...
that may come in handy.

It's coming up on exam week and anyone who is in school or has ever been in school knows what this means. Test anxiety! It's a real thing I swear! Now some of you current and past students of academia may be thinking 'I never had such a thing' but you my friend are the one percent. The rest of us agonize over this fateful week and are constantly on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Or maybe I'm just a drama queen and overreact to a simple compilation of questions. Who knows. Anyways, I thought I would share my pre-exam ritual.

What I FEEL like i have to study...

 It starts with a panic attack. Usually something along the lines of "fudge! The exam is tomorrow and I haven't even opened my book." I know what your probably thinking, if I just opened that darn book before panic sets in than maybe that would reduce the anxiety. And your probably right...but this is my exam ritual, not yours. So I freak. This is usually followed by a mad dash to get all that information out and ready for studying purposes. But alas, when I see the extent of the information that is supposed to cram in my little brain, another freak out ensues. And then preparation begins. I lay out all the material, brew some coffee and retrieve my note cards to begin the futile process of learning everything.

Reality of what i have to study.

Upon looking over the mass amount of information, with the initial overdose of caffeine beginning to set in, well you may have guessed it, I panic. But eventually I calm down (as much as I can, remember caffeine overdose) and I begin. I read, make notecards,.and sip coffee. It's my process. So far I've never failed a test so it may just be working! Although to all you not yet in college, I do not recommend this method of studying at all. It induces panic, causes stress, and you may just end up in the hospital due to excessive abuse of caffeine. (there was a case in the 90's where a man has caffeine induced psychosis, ahhh the 90's). Anyhow, I did learn something whilst studying for my final today, psychologist Bandura showed that when students watch a video of a student saying that "they also have test anxiety but this is how they deal with it", the students watching do better on the post video test they are given. So find a video that has this magical quality in it and pass every exam you ever take*. So there are my thoughts on tests. To summarize for those of you who hate reading (sometime a requirement on tests) tests are the worst, but finding your own special way to study could make it a lot easier.

When finals are finished...

*statement has not been proven true in any sort of scientific test. Also you cannot learn the information by putting your textbook under your pillow at night.