All about Exam / Test Anxiety

Reply to All about Exam / Test Anxiety on Tue, 19 Nov 2019 08:52:49 GMT

MatthewKwan94 — Tue, 19 Nov 2019 08:52:49 GMT

The night before exam-light reading. Do something relaxing like taking a walk or watching some light Tv programmes.

Reply to All about Exam / Test Anxiety on Tue, 29 Aug 2017 02:05:32 GMT

el_ninogold — Tue, 29 Aug 2017 02:05:32 GMT

zbear:
janet88:

the kids may be well prepared for any exam...but he/she can have a mental block in the examination hall.
I usually advise my son not to look around him but just focus on his paper...ignore any classmate who raises hand to ask for more paper.
.

Another way is to avoid interactions with classmates whom you know have the tendency to be panicky and overly stressed during the mornings of the exams. This way, you won't be too affected by their words and behaviors.

Reply to All about Exam / Test Anxiety on Tue, 29 Aug 2017 00:35:06 GMT

el_ninogold — Tue, 29 Aug 2017 00:35:06 GMT

One way which I have read up and actually found work for students under exam stress would be this. Works too for adults who are feeling stressed.

Close your eyes
Take a deep breath in through your nose for four counts
Hold your breath for two counts
Breath out through your mouth for four counts

You can repeat this 4 times.

Reply to All about Exam / Test Anxiety on Sat, 22 Apr 2017 14:37:32 GMT

TopTutorSG — Sat, 22 Apr 2017 14:37:32 GMT

When my kids were at university, they decided that after watching me meditate whenever I felt stressed, that they’d try it for themselves too. Worked well, and their exam results were good too.

Reply to All about Exam / Test Anxiety on Thu, 20 Apr 2017 23:15:54 GMT

sharonkhoo — Thu, 20 Apr 2017 23:15:54 GMT

Tell her that it’s part and parcel of growing up, and she will have to get used to it. Explain that at higher levels, exams are set so that very few students (if any) will be able to answer everything. When she tells you that she doesn’t know the answer etc, take it calmly and tell her that it’s to be expected. You can then help her try to figure out what the right answer might be.

At the same time, in other parts of life, help her try out new things which don’t have "right answers" - find something she might enjoy depending on her interests. Also, when making decisions or finding out things yourself, talk out loud how you are doing it, how there may not be any "right" answers, how several different approaches and solutions are acceptable etc. She will get used to the idea that she doesn’t need to know all the answers.

Reply to All about Exam / Test Anxiety on Thu, 20 Apr 2017 16:07:02 GMT

sean wife — Thu, 20 Apr 2017 16:07:02 GMT

Rehashing this old thread…

my dd has been telling me recently that when she come across a question that she does not know how to do during exam, she feel nauseous. Is this exam anxiety and how to help her overcome it?

Basically, in lower primary, there were hardly any questions that she ‘does not know how to do’, her mistakes were mainly careless mistakes. Now that she is in a more challenging learning environment, this is the first time that she finds herself facing unfamiliar and difficult questions during tests. Other that telling her to concentrate on those doable questions first, how else can I help her?

Reply to All about Exam / Test Anxiety on Fri, 22 May 2015 03:20:07 GMT

michyeosseo — Fri, 22 May 2015 03:20:07 GMT

They key here is stress and as parents we have experienced it before when we are young.

With the school curriculum getting harder each year, it’s understandable to know that our kids are facing immerse stress in school. What parents can do is to help their children out by NOT giving them additional stress (expecting a fantastic grade for rewards or punishment for not achieving it) Let nature take its course, bring him/her out during weekends and spend more quality family time with them. Tell them that results are not the only thing in life.

It helps.

Reply to All about Exam / Test Anxiety on Mon, 18 May 2015 12:38:13 GMT

findingjoy — Mon, 18 May 2015 12:38:13 GMT

Hihi, new user here! Was reading this article from http://www.pslerevision.com/blog-study-articles before I came onto this forum. Since what I was reading is related to this forum, I've decided to share it with everyone, hope it helps some of you.

4 Ways To Avoid Exam Stress
As the examination period approaches, your child may feel start to feel nervous and anxious. Not surprisingly, it is actually normal to feel anxious before the exams. In fact, some people find that a bit of pressure enables them to study better as it acts as a motivation to carry out their revision with a determined approach and goal in mind.

As Roger Mead, Stress Management Consultant and General Secretary of the International Stress Management Association states: \"Stress is not about the exam, but about what you think about the exam. People shouldn't see them as monsters they can't escape. With the right preparation they're not too scary.\"

If your child is feeling overwhelmed or is panicking before the exams, here are 4 tips that you may use to overcome his/her exam stress:

1) Revision

When your child is revising, encourage him to make notes or to at least highlight the important key points and revise those highlighted key points several times. It is also useful for your child to make a short list of the main points after revising each topic/chapter, and he can revise those main points on the day before the exam. This will greatly reduce the amount of information that your child needs to revise before the exams, hence reducing some of his exam stress.

As a parent, it is important to constantly encourage and praise your child when he is working hard. Make your child feel that you are there for him physically and emotionally, and make your child’s study environment revision-friendly. You should not force your expectations on your child just before the exams as this will put unnecessary pressure on him.

2) Avoid Cramming or Last Minute Revision

A few days before the exams, your child should set a revision timetable so that he is able to revise all the topics he needs to before the exams. Make sure your child sets realistic targets as cramming too much information just before the exams creates stress and actually hinders proper learning. Other than making sure your child stays on track with his revision timetable, you can help to organise his bag and check his stationery before each exam. Organising these little things will help to cut down on his exam stress.

3) Eat Healthily

It is important for children to avoid processed food, fast food and sugary snacks as much as possible. Try eating foods high in omega 3 as it is great brain food. Sometimes, exam stress will cause some children to lose their appetites. If this happens to your child, you can prepare light meals or simple sandwiches. Eating well will help your child to focus and do his best during the exams.

4) Enough Sleep and Rest

It is advisable for children to have 8 hours of sleep every day, so that they are able to concentrate better the next day. Your child should avoid last minute revision on the night before the exams as this will make him more anxious and even panic, hence affecting his exam performance during the next day. Make sure that your child gets plenty of rest as the brain will function better if it is well-rested.

Last but not least, make sure that your child sets his alarm clock for the next day! Waking up late on the day of the exam will make your child feel anxious and alarmed, and that is not a good way to start the day of the exams.

As parents, we should not be causing exam anxiety; rather we want our children to be as well-prepared as possible. During the days or even hours leading up to the exams, you may encourage your child about doing his/her best. You know your child better than anyone. Emphasize the importance of the exams, but remember to build confidence, not anxiety.

(credits to http://www.pslerevision.com/blog-study-articles)

Reply to All about Exam / Test Anxiety on Mon, 18 May 2015 07:02:00 GMT

momkiasu — Mon, 18 May 2015 07:02:00 GMT

From what i can gather, your child fears failure. He feels frightened that if he under performs, he would be labelled as not good enough. I suggest that you sit down and have a talk with him about failure and how life has its up and down. Also, he must know that you will always be there even during failure and that you will still love him no matter what.

Reply to All about Exam / Test Anxiety on Sun, 17 May 2015 12:31:37 GMT

Mathwiz — Sun, 17 May 2015 12:31:37 GMT

Lenny08,

I don’t have such experience with my children but my 1st son had a stage fright last year and we managed to overcome it. What I did with him is to have more performances, both informal and formal. I sent him to speech and drama class and asked him to perform first to me, then to the family. He was not comfortable at beginning but later he enjoyed it as he saw his own improvement. I signed him up to a number of formal performances, in kindergarten, piano school and outside. He got almost 2 or 3 performances and rehearsals each month end of last year. At the end of all, he was immune to performance. He read his book and when it was his turn, he just went up and play. I never set any expectation on how well he should perform. But I told him: the more you perform, the less scared or anxious you are. So that’s the only expectation in fact and what I would remind him: you are less scared after this performance right? I used a percentage and let him describe.

If my son has exam anxiety, I guess I will do the similar thing. I believe, the more you scared of doing something, the more you should do it. But don’t give them pressure on the results yet, just focusing on getting used to the exam first.

Forgot something. I gave my son incentives for each performance. He liked to play iPad games, so I set the incentive to be a new game installed after each formal performance.

By the way, I applied the similar method with my son this year when he had a phobia of playing chess games: The fear of losing. So again incentives, more points if he lost the game gracefully. He started with GO elementary class then jumped to intermediate class. I made him play online games 5 games a day. Recently, to my surprise, all the coaches commented that my son was very clam in games. The only worry I have now is that he is winning too many games with his classmates…

Reply to All about Exam / Test Anxiety on Fri, 15 May 2015 03:59:44 GMT

zbear — Fri, 15 May 2015 03:59:44 GMT

janet88:

the kids may be well prepared for any exam...but he/she can have a mental block in the examination hall.
I usually advise my son not to look around him but just focus on his paper...ignore any classmate who raises hand to ask for more paper.
.

I agree. I remembered being very panicky when I saw my classmates writing away furiously n asking for more paper.

Reply to All about Exam / Test Anxiety on Fri, 15 May 2015 03:09:01 GMT

janet88 — Fri, 15 May 2015 03:09:01 GMT

home and exam environment is a totally different feel.

the kids may be well prepared for any exam…but he/she can have a mental block in the examination hall.
I usually advise my son not to look around him but just focus on his paper…ignore any classmate who raises hand to ask for more paper.
start timing mock papers at home several times. lastly, remember to breathe slowly.

Reply to All about Exam / Test Anxiety on Thu, 14 May 2015 10:16:15 GMT

Mdm Koh — Thu, 14 May 2015 10:16:15 GMT

Revise consistently. Don’t cram too much the day before the exams. Set achieveable short-term goals. Try taking timed mock exams at home or with friends. Some students go into panic mode during exams as they are not used to completing work within a limited time.

Reply to All about Exam / Test Anxiety on Thu, 14 May 2015 07:05:13 GMT

sharonkhoo — Thu, 14 May 2015 07:05:13 GMT

Lenny08:
slmkhoo:
Just wondering - what is the \"environment\" surrounding results in the home and school? Is the child often hearing that results are very important, and that he will be \"dead\" if he doesn't get certain scores or similar remarks? Some sensitive kids may take such remarks too seriously and this can cause undue stress.

The school itself is of high stressed and the child is a perfectionist by nature.

You probably need to convince your child that his best is all that is expected, and that whatever results he gets is good enough. Perfectionist kids need to be told that even more than other kids. He has probably been praised a lot for good work; maybe you can switch to praising for effort rather than whether the work is done well or not.

Reply to All about Exam / Test Anxiety on Thu, 14 May 2015 06:58:43 GMT

sharonkhoo — Thu, 14 May 2015 06:58:43 GMT

zbear:
slmkhoo:
Just wondering - what is the \"environment\" surrounding results in the home and school? Is the child often hearing that results are very important, and that he will be \"dead\" if he doesn't get certain scores or similar remarks? Some sensitive kids may take such remarks too seriously and this can cause undue stress.

What if the environment is not home but class especially when all yr classmates are so competitive?

How do u cope n manage the stress of excellence n mental block?

I believe that the home environment can damp down the stresses faced in school. To most kids, whether they admit it or not, parental support and approval means more than school or peers. However, it may be that parents have to start early, before peer pressure becomes too major a factor. Also, parents have to be convicted in what they say. If we say \"just do your best, we'll accept whatever results you get\" with our mouths, but our actions show differently, our kids will not believe our words.

Reply to All about Exam / Test Anxiety on Thu, 14 May 2015 02:58:42 GMT

Lenny08 — Thu, 14 May 2015 02:58:42 GMT

slmkhoo:
Just wondering - what is the \"environment\" surrounding results in the home and school? Is the child often hearing that results are very important, and that he will be \"dead\" if he doesn't get certain scores or similar remarks? Some sensitive kids may take such remarks too seriously and this can cause undue stress.

The school itself is of high stressed and the child is a perfectionist by nature.

Reply to All about Exam / Test Anxiety on Thu, 14 May 2015 02:57:31 GMT

zbear — Thu, 14 May 2015 02:57:31 GMT

slmkhoo:
Just wondering - what is the \"environment\" surrounding results in the home and school? Is the child often hearing that results are very important, and that he will be \"dead\" if he doesn't get certain scores or similar remarks? Some sensitive kids may take such remarks too seriously and this can cause undue stress.

What if the environment is not home but class especially when all yr classmates are so competitive?

How do u cope n manage the stress of excellence n mental block?

Reply to All about Exam / Test Anxiety on Thu, 14 May 2015 02:35:42 GMT

sharonkhoo — Thu, 14 May 2015 02:35:42 GMT

Just wondering - what is the "environment" surrounding results in the home and school? Is the child often hearing that results are very important, and that he will be "dead" if he doesn’t get certain scores or similar remarks? Some sensitive kids may take such remarks too seriously and this can cause undue stress.