[JoeS21]

If so, how did you cope with any test anxiety? If you were suffering from severe anxiety or panac attacks over the test when people would start asking you about it, how did you handle that? How did you handle people who kept haunting you over the test even though you asked them not to?

[Little Lulu]

I took a national certification test for my field after grad school that I studied many months for. Although I don't generally have test anxiety, I felt very anxious about that test.

I am sorry to hear you are feeling harassed about the test. I don't recall that happening to me but it certainly would make matters worse. Would it be possible for you to be honest and tell the ones that are making you uncomfortable that you are having anxiety over this and would appreciate not talking about it?

What got me through the whole test ordeal was that I told myself I had done all I could reasonably do to prepare, I had done my best, AND although I wouldn't like it, I could take it over if I didn't pass.

[Miswimmy1]

I'm a senior in high school and am taking IB courses (which are two year, college level courses). I take the IB exams in May. The exams cover all the information that I've learned since the beginning of my junior year of high school. May isn't for a while so I have other things at the forefront of my mind right now. I'm not too worried yet.

My advice to you is to take some deep breaths. If you've put in the study time and learned the material, that is all that you can do. Remind yourself that you've done what you can and leave it at that. There's no use worrying about the "what if's" if you have done the best you can to prepare for it. Breathe, eat well, get sleep the night before. And focus on the present when you take the test. Don't catastrophize.

[Fresia]

I just kept trying to focus on the task at hand, studying and breaks from it that were relaxing or fun, to keep myself distracted and tried not to think about the exam itself as preparation was the key for me. Practice exams helped to ease some of the anxiety too, doing those over and over again; if they offer them untimed, do it that way so it takes more pressure off as well and can just learn from them.

I'm with you in that I did not want to discuss it. If anyone asked, I just said depending either, "I'm doing what I need to do" or "come what may" or "what will be will be"; I tried to make it less intense and let it go by changing the subject onto something else. I sounded like a broken record at times but otherwise it was too distracting to get into it. Simplifying things with a few curt phrases and talking about other subjects helped a lot.

Wishing you well as you prepare and good luck on the exam.

[Perna]

I've been studying for one now since the beginning of summer and keep moving the date back that I want to take it (now set at before the new year). The studying is unpleasant (boring "nonsense") and when I quiz myself over time I don't pass (too much time goes by between when I learn something and when I quiz it to make sure I have it and move on) which starts another round of anxiety, etc.

I'm trying to make things smaller. I have 50 question practice tests and I'm "studying" 10 questions a day, that sort of thing. I got a 100 on the first 10 but only 60 on the second, sigh. So now what? Do I go back to studying the second 10 subjects or press on and try the third 10 and come back or what? The amount of material makes me anxious; it's like I'm juggling and can't keep it all going at once.