Preparation for Exams & Anxiety Reduction

If you are aware that you have a problem with test anxiety, be sure your teacher or instructor knows before any testing begins (and not the hour before!). There may be other options to evaluate your knowledge or performance within the subject matter. Divine, James H., and David W. Kylen. How to Beat Test Anxiety and Score Higher on Your Exams. Woodbury, New York: Barron's Educational Series, Inc., 1979. How to Beat Test Anxiety and Score Higher on Your Exams begins by helping students to understand how they experience test anxiety before helping them take steps to reduce it. Suggestions on how to reduce test anxiety include replacing negative self-statements with self-affirming statements, and learning how to relax. The second half of the book focuses on developing test-taking skills, especially those required for multiple choice questions. Hanau, Laia. The Study Game. New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1979. The Study Game is well titled because the author approaches studying as if it were a game which students can learn how to win. It covers reading for information, conveying that information, consolidating information for exams, and writing exams. The language is informal, frequently using point form rather than complete sentences, and the text accompanied by sketches, arrows, and circled major points. Students who like mind-mapping and take non-linear notes, will find this book helpful. MacFarlane, Polly, and Sandra Hodson. Studying Effectively and Efficiently: An Integrated System. Toronto: University of Toronto, 1983. Studying Effectively and Efficiently: An Integrated System provides a brief introduction (46 pages) to study skills. Topics include concentration, time scheduling, listening and lecture note taking, reading and learning from textbooks, writing papers, and preparing for exams. The book contains a brief, clear explanation of the mechanisms of learning and memory. Pauk, Walter. How to Study in College. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1984. How to Study in College is a book that covers a wide range of study skills, from improving memory to answering specific types of exam questions. It is particularly strong in dealing with reading and note taking skills, not surprising considering that the author is a researcher in reading. The book is well organized with a thorough table of contents and index. Each chapter has a self-test to promote learning and remembering. Sullivan, Kathleen E. Paragraph Practice. New York//London: Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc.//Collier Macmillan Publishers, 1984. If professors or tutors criticize students' paragraphs, Paragraph Practice can help. It explains what a paragraph is and how it differs from other writing. The author breaks the paragraph down into its parts, and shows how several of them can be united to form a brief composition?the kind of composition written for exams and tutor marked assignments Fleet, Joan, Fiona Goodchild, and Richard Zajchowski. Successful Learning. London, Ontario: University of Western Ontario, 1987. Successful Learning is an introduction to study skills, an earlier version of Learning for Success. There is an inventory at the beginning to help students identify their strengths and weaknesses followed by chapters on time management, essay writing, science problem solving, exam preparation, and others. The authors encourage students to be strategic, to study "smarter not harder." Jones, Bill, and Roy Johnson. Making the Grade. Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press, 1990. In two volumes, Making the Grade shows how to improve study skills. Volume I examines input, learning new information, and Volume II examines output, presenting ideas in papers and exams. The books are organized in brief segments with prescribed rest and reflection. There are anecdotes to illustrate points and to help students deepen their understanding of their own experience. Richardson, Frank C. Coping With Exam Anxiety. Editor. Arlene Young. Athabasca, Alberta: Athabasca University, 1990. This book uses an informational learning approach to help students understand and reduce their exam anxiety. The book will help students understand the extent to which their difficulty with exams is due to preparation or anxiety. For many students, reading the book and doing the exercises will be sufficient to reduce their anxiety. Others may also wish to seek the help of a counsellor. Athabasca University Students can obtain the book, free of charge, from the Athabasca University Students Association (AUSA). Inspired from: Study Skills Development / Athabasca University