seeking advice for test taking anxiety

[koukla-mou]

Does anyone have any good advice or tips to reduce test-taking anxiety?

I don't traditionally have bad test anxiety however when I took the nclex, I was so overwhelmed and it really affected my focus and judgement. I was terrified that I would be 'that girl' that failed and wasn't in the 85% of BSNs that pass on their first attempt. I viewed the exam as a hurdle and apart of my path to professional nursing however I was scared by the idea that this exam stood between me and my entire academic past and also stood between me and my entire professional career. While anxiety isn't the only reason why I did not pass, I do feel like it contributed greatly. I guess next time around I wont have as much fear of failure An additional stress that also stunted me during the test is that I have what I would call pseudo-ptsd (I don't know what to refer to it as, like emotional responses to certain topics/like a flashback) because I cared for my mom for three years before she ultimately passed away. It was a tragic experience and I am still working through my grief and how it will affect my outlook/approach in this profession. Any advice on how to avoid an emotional melt down during the exam lol? (for example most end of life care questions get to me, anytime I see cheyne stokes I freakout and find myself with the graphic image of my mom dying) while I understand these are all problems I will encounter while working in nursing, at this point in time my focus is to pass my NCLEX and become licensed. Any advice about test taking anxiety or controlling emotions during the exam would be extremely helpful!

Thanks, Allie

[mhy12784]

I cant speak for the stuff about your mom, but as far as anxiety/stress during the test itself I was constantly just taking short breaks.

Close my eyes, take some deep breaths, relax try to think of something else for a few minutes and get back to it. I found myself doing this several times during the exam and ive NEVER done that for a test ever.

That and maybe taking a break every 90~ minutes or so or whenever getting really anxious.

[koukla-mou]

Yeah I definitely should try and stop myself and take a few deep breaths and refocus. During the exam I would attempt to breathe and calm myself but it didn’t seem to do the trick because the next question would come and I would get all ‘whoa is me’ lol I need to practice getting confidence I guess and stick to the strategies to help guide me. It took me 4 hours to answer all 265 questions so I think you are right and I should definitely take a few breaks just to breathe and re-center myself. Thank you so much for your helpful advice!

[2013rn2BScorpio]

Best wishes

[brennan4ever]

I would pray.....or a small dose of a benzo helps for anxiety...if you have a anxiety issue..I did ...turns out I had add as well...my add medicine helps a lot ...wish I had that in school I might of not had to repeat certain classes and quarters.....and my confidence would of been sky high like it is now..god bless ..and good luck