Test Prep Books/Effective Study Skills for Test Taking Anxiety

Is fear derailing you?

The more I work as a test prep performance coach the more I see how fear not only derails test takers, but immobilizes them. It is the single biggest cause of poor test performance.

What are they afraid of?  (And if you’re a fearful test taker and are reading this: what are you afraid of?) Doing poorly?  Failing?  Not living up to standards?  All kinds of consequences like not getting into the college of you choice, not qualifying for a scholarship, making someone (a teacher, parents, our yourself) disappointed?

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You know that phrase they use at raffles? “You have to be present to win.” The same is true of tests, as in life.

One thing I’ve noticed over and over again with people who have trouble with tests– they are flipping from the past (”Oh no, I didn’t study the right things”) to the future (”If I fail I’m going to lose my scholarship”). Though both statements may be true, going in either direction (past or future) is not helpful when you’re taking a test. At that moment, when you are reading and answering questions, you want and need to be one place and one place only: in the present.

Only by being present can we  do the job we need to do, at that moment. Only by being present can we develop the awareness that we’re veering off track, and then get back on track.

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Facing life's tests

I have good news and, well, not-so-good news for you test takers.

Let’s get the not-so-good news over with. Here’s the deal: we cannot choose most of the tests we face in life.

Now, here’s the good one. Drum roll, please…

We can choose how we’re going to face all those tests.

Are we going to have a miserable experience, crumble under the pressure, run away, or avoid challenges altogether?

Or are we going to find the strength and inner resources to rise to the challenges and fully actualize our potential?

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Alan Sitomer: one passionate teacher

I have been reading, with great interest, the postings of a California teacher, Alan Lawrence Sitomer.  His committed work and passionate voice first came to my attention last week with a blog post titled, “Raise your test scores, that’s all they want.”

I highly recommend that every teacher start tuning in to Mr. Sitomer’s blog. They will find mirrored there the many questions, frustrations, joys, challenges, and tests that every thinking, heart-centered teacher has.

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The latest 5 star review of THE WORKBOOK FOR TEST SUCCESS came out today on Google Books and Amazon.  Here’s what the reader says:

Excellent reading. This book helped me to focus not only on academic tests, but also in various situations of my life. It is amazing how a simple tip such as “don’t forget to breathe” could make all the difference in my performance. Dr. B hits the nail on the head when describing all the rollercoaster of emotions that a GMAT, GRE, LSAT and other standardized tests can cause in a student.  I particularly enjoyed the exercises and recommend this book for anyone.

I’m particularly glad the reader picked up on how the book applies to a whole host of tests as well as life situations. Isn’t the “rollercoaster of emotions” she references something we all experience, at some point, every day?

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In a most interesting article in yesterday’s Washington Post, reporter Nelson Hernandez covered a story at a local middle school. He wrote, “Schools these days focus mostly on preparing students for tests of reading and math, but during lunchtime at Kenmoor Middle School in Landover, the youngsters sitting in a small circle were tackling the really deep questions: Ethics. Fairness. How to split dessert.”

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This is the third in a series of posts sparked by an article on Michelle Obama, written by Lynn Sweet,  about a talk Mrs. Obama had with high school students, telling them about her struggles with test anxiety.

In the article, Ms. Sweet also referenced two other First Ladies and their performance anxiety. For Laura Bush it was about public speaking. Hillary Clinton recalled that at age 4 she came home crying to her mother because a girl was pushing her around. Her mother taught her to stand up for herself: “My mother was afraid that if I gave in to my fears, it would set a pattern for the rest of my life.”

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This is the second in a series of posts about an article by Lynn Sweet in Politics Daily on Michelle Obama, her own struggles with test anxiety.

While the First Lady spoke to a group of high school girls in Denver, as part of a new mentoring program she is kicking off, Mrs. Obama gave her listeners a bit of practical advice on test preparation: “You’ve got to prepare for the tests, take them seriously because they are part of the measures, they’re part of the system. But don’t let these tests defeat you. Don’t let them define you.”

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Michelle Obama had test anxiety.

In a talk she gave to high school students,  First Lady Michelle Obama spoke about her own struggles with test anxiety.  “I was never a great standardized test taker,” she said. “So from a personal level, I would always get nervous and feel a great deal of anxiety over test-taking. So it was always a point of frustration for me personally.”

In talking about herself she is helping countless students across the country and around the world. Test anxiety is a very common problem and one that disempowers many students at all ages. For one of the most significant public figures in the world to be open about her own struggles with testing, and to have accomplished all that she has, shines a light into a subject that many students find hard to discuss and for which they receive little help.

In the next few posts I’d like to reflect on Mrs. Obama’s willingness to discuss her experience and how it actually can help many many others.  Thank you First Lady, for being so human!

And thank you, Lynn Sweet, in Politics Daily, for covering the story. This kind of sensitive, humane reporting is helpful to countless students, parents and teachers. To read Lynn Sweet’s article, go to   http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/11/18/what-made-michelle-obama-anxious-and-nervous/

PTO Emery is a bright light in East Bay

On Monday night I had the honor of being the featured speaker at the Emeryville Unified School district’s parent teacher’s association meeting. After a delicious holiday dinner we all moved into the library of Emery Secondary School and PTO President Brynnda Collins introduced me. The school district generously provided each parent at the meeting with a copy of my book. I gave a talk on the book and particularly chapter 5, “How to Calm Down.”  I think the material in this chapter is particularly helpful for parents when their kids are stressed out about tests.

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