Test Prep Books/Effective Study Skills for Test Taking Anxiety

All you GMAT test takers, listen to this. Here is a list of horrors awaiting you on test day. You need to be prepared for all of the following:

* Sitting for a “mug shot” digital photograph which goes in to your GMAT file
* Providing a fingerprint before beginning of the exam, and at any point at which you leave and return to your seat (sound like prison yet?)
* Leaving your belongings other than your clothes (jacket, phone, watch, hat, etc.) in a locker for the duration of the test
* Using a sprial-bound noteboard and a marker instead of the tried-and-true scratch paper for your notes and calculations

For many of my clients, these measures add stress to their experience and lead to decreased test scores.

Many students think if they study hard enough they will do well on the day of test. But what I have learned is that becoming and staying calm is a skill that can be taught and is applicable not just while taking the test but in the time leading up to it (and after it is over) . Staying calm is as important as knowing the content.

Here’s the tip: as you approach the test center check in with your breath:  are you breathing regularly and deeply? If not, get on it path right away!

Why is this significant? Because holding your breath immediately causes stress. Without breath your brain is deprived of oxygen. It starts sounding an alarm: YOU ARE DYING! This is a fact: if your brain really were cut off from oxygen permanently, it would die. The automatic reaction to a loss of oxygen broadcasts an emergency signal. This isn’t conscious. It’s instinctive. Your anxiety level is directly affected by how you breathe. Stop breathing, and your anxiety level immediately shoots up.

But there is another connection between your breath and your ability to think clearly and logically when you are taking a test. Breath is intimately connected to your thinking. A shortage of breath causes a fear reaction, which disturbs orderly thought process.

I invite you to check out the chapter 4, How To Calm Down, in my book.

The single most important tool for staying calm is breathing.

If you have a question, email me, I’d love to hear from you.

Here’s the link to the related article on GMAT.
http://blog.veritasprep.com/2009/10/gmat-tip-of-week_30.html