How *I* deal with exam anxiety!

(Man, am I always anxious into an exam... I think sometimes my body thrives on it. Or else it's the result of being a chronic procrastinator when it comes to studying and schoolwork...)

Anyways.

- Go into exam. Breathe.
- Read over the entire exam before beginning. Breathe.
- Answer the questions you know the best FIRST. Cover the other ones if you can so you don't freak out. If you're like me, you'll also do poorly on multiple choice exams ... what I was told to do is to cover the options for the questions with a paper (or your ID card) and think about the possible answer BEFORE looking at the possible choices!!
- Breathe. Take a washroom break if you need it, a stretch of the legs is good for you... keeps your mind from freaking out.
- Come back, do some of the harder questions. Do not spend all your time agonizing over one question. Move onto another one. Rate the hardest questions in order of "point value". How much they're worth overall on the exam/test. If they're worth more, try to at least attempt the question. You can get part marks for jot notes for an essay question!
- Stay as long as you need to. If you're freaking out badly, and you don't think you'll get any more questions and you're the first person to leave - don't sweat it.

After all:

A test (or exam) is JUST a tiny measure of the material you've retained. It doesn't measure how smart you are, or how well you do academically in other courses or at other times. Take it from me, as a person who HAS failed university courses - yes, it sucks having the money go down the drain. But at the end of the day, most people do poorly in at least a couple of classes - some people barely squeak by. Just try your best, and that's sometimes all we can do. Your self worth is NOT determined by a test grade. At all, even if other people say/think otherwise.