woman Oevermann, preparing for exams is often stressful. Then test anxiety. Where does fear come from?
anxiety before exams is normal, what is decisive is the extent of the fear. In the case of the emergence of the fear of the evaluation of the Situation plays an important role. If I do not go out, for instance, that I can eh, can trigger the anxiety or strengthen.
Why tend to be some people to test anxiety, while others take the exam?
We differ in how we deal with challenges, whether we tend to believe that success or failure is going out. It is a question of questions, how do I perceive my skills, but also what experiences I already have with exams.
How common is exam anxiety?
The Numbers vary a bit, depending on how test anxiety is defined as clinically relevant or not. In the social survey by the Deutsches Studentenwerk from 2016, twelve of the students reported suffering from test anxiety. This is consistent with our experience in consulting, where test anxiety as one of the main is reasons for the Visit and the advice.
Also, people who are very well prepared and a very good Note to aim for, afraid of. Why?
The requirements are actually very high. If I want to have very good grades, the pressure increases. The own, often very high expectations and perfectionist demands can then promote test anxiety.
Can cause test anxiety to a really serious crisis?
Yes, definitely. Some students withdraw, sometimes over years and often only when all the deadlines have passed. In the worst case, the de-registration. A sequence can then be, for example, depression. It is important to know that test anxiety can be a disorder to an illness. As a psycho-therapeutic treatment is necessary.
Good preparation is supposed to help against anxiety, but some can learn out of fear. What should you do?
In the case, it is good to apply in a timely manner of Psychological counseling, so that this vicious circle can as early as possible interrupted. The sooner you seek support, the better!
Some try it with relaxation exercises. Use such techniques only when you start Training long before the testing phase?
relaxation exercises can be very helpful, because the students in exam situations, do you feel you can do something, so that you are better. But in fact, it is important to practice this in advance to be able to you then in the exam situation. We provide students, often as a First aid technique stabilization exercises from trauma therapy, helping to focus on the Here and Now. Here we have made the experience, that this can also be very short term very helpful.
the fear of the examination in oral tests Is greater, because you’re sitting with the evaluating instance directly?
That depends on the experience with evaluating instances, so whether or not one has experienced examiner as a helpful or judgmental. Especially at a large University, the auditors are often anonymous, which increases anxiety in oral tests. This is why we attach so much importance to the fact that the students consult, especially before oral exams, the office hours of the controller.
Some of the creeps before presentations, because they find it awful to speak in front of many strangers.
to speak it’s more about fear of public Speaking, the fear of other people. Often the fear of evaluation, and shame plays a big role. Of exercise, but.
What should you do if you suddenly have a Blackout?
Blackouts can occur and it is good if you are prepared beforehand in such a Situation, and a contingency plan has at the ready. These might include: a long, deep breath, relaxation exercises or the relevant First aid techniques. Often it happens that students fall silent in the case of a Blackout in the exam and the examiner to assume that the person has not learned properly, and the fabric is not white. We encourage the students in such a Situation, to address what is going on and to ask for a short break. The fear should be too large, you should break ask for the test.
What can the do to be Tested, in order to take the Background a little bit of fear?
office hours to offer and to make transparent what the students expected in the exam. You can also inform yourself on test anxiety and its impact on students.
symptoms include sleepless nights. The persons Concerned will then whacked fully in their examinations. Why you should reach for a couple of weeks to sleeping pills?
A night without sleep is uncomfortable, but not bad. Sleeping pills can be extremely addictive and are therefore recommended without medical supervision in any case. The parties Concerned may instead look to a good sleep hygiene, not heard, for example, to learn directly in front of the Sleep, and to develop rituals to go to Sleep, to drink from the afternoon, no caffeine, plenty of exercise in the fresh air, and relaxation techniques. In advising students tell us again and again that you study for hours and in the exam time on sports and friends refrain from meeting. But it is precisely in the examination and learning time, it is important that the existing routines to unwind and Relax, such as meeting friends or Sport to maintain.
How a sentence could be, the man repeated mantra, before you go into the exam?
A student has developed, for example, the sentence: “no matter how the test runs, I now give everything and believe in me.” Generally, we work with the students in your setting. In the run-up to practice on what is now to focus not on the what will be. – Mareike Oevermann is a psychologist and psychotherapist. She works in the Psychological counseling of the TU Berlin. The questions Anja Kuehne.