As individuals, we see that life has difficult aspects as well as easy aspects. Individuals can or do react to both internal and external stimuli they encounter in life. It is known that each individual can react differently as a result of the events they interpret within themselves. In other words, it may be absurd to say that every individual reacts the same; we call anxiety the physical, mental and emotional reactions of individuals to events in life as well as to events within themselves. In other words, it is a state of overstimulation of the body that it has difficulty preventing as a result of the event it encounters. We enter into a learning process the moment we are born, and this process continues until the end of our lives. Learning is the process of acquiring all the knowledge, actions and skills necessary for a person to survive and get satisfaction from his/her ongoing life. While what is learned forms a person's knowledge (potential), using what is learned for a certain purpose also reveals performance. In other words, performance is the way that what a person has previously acquired at the level of mind, emotion and behavior is put forward in action, in a certain situation and in a certain period of time. The situation where a person's performance is best is when he can turn all his potential in that field into action. However, due to various internal and external factors, it sometimes becomes difficult to turn real potential into performance. One of these factors is high anxiety.
Intense anxiety that prevents the information learned before the exam from being used effectively during the exam and causes a decrease in success is called test anxiety. We can consider test anxiety in two dimensions. The first of these is anxiety and intense emotion. Anxiety is a performance-oriented mental process. It consists of negative thoughts, beliefs and expectations regarding the exam result. Intense Affect is the signals coming from the body as a result of the physiological stimulation created by anxiety, giving the message that the body is out of normal functioning balance.” “I will not be successful in this exam.” “Everything will be messed up at the end of this exam.” Thoughts like these provide information about anxiety. Intense emotion: “My heart is pounding like it's going to jump out,” “I'm so nervous my stomach is upset.” t has happened.” “I'm in a very miserable situation.” “I was in a panic about taking this exam, I was in a panic. “
We can understand that the student has test anxiety as follows: A significant decrease is observed in the student's success. There is procrastination in studying and refusal to talk about the exam and its preparation. They feel uncomfortable being asked questions. Distraction, inability to focus, a noticeable increase in physical complaints (abdominal pain, nausea, sweating, sleep disturbance, loss of appetite or, conversely, overeating, a general unhappy mood, etc.), poor performance despite working hard indicate the presence of anxiety.
Overcoming exam anxiety is also possible by exercising alternative thoughts in our minds instead of negative thoughts about the exam. What should I do?” “Can I do the best I can?” “What is the worst thing that can happen?” “It is not the end of the world, there is compensation” Just because I fail at this does not mean I will always fail” “It is true that I do not have enough time, but how can I use the time I have in the most effective way? "Even if I cannot study all the resources, I can prepare for the exam by prioritizing the important sections, at least I will earn points from these sections." "If I succeed, I will pass an important turning point in my life."
So, how can one get rid of exam anxiety:
<Questioning thoughts and beliefs (re-evaluating unrealistic thinking habits from a different perspective)
Breathing exercises
Relaxation exercises
Trying to accept and recognize anxiety, not suppressing it
Thought stopping technique
Technique for focusing attention on other points
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