Test Prep Books/Effective Study Skills for Test Taking Anxiety

Today a college student came to see me for the first time. She is having a lot of trouble with tests. She studies hard, but a few days before the test a mounting self-doubt takes over and by the night before a test her head is whirling around, she’s tossing and turning in anxiety and she can’t sleep. She’s consumed with thoughts that she won’t pass, and that doing poorly will shoot her chances to get into a good graduate school.  As she spoke I noticed a few things…..

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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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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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Recently, I met a student who was anxious about taking the LSAT.  She came to my book launch, brought by her sister, to get help for her test taking anxiety. The student was skeptical, but her sister bought her a copy of the book anyway.

A month later I received the following email from the student:

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Is there a pill for test stress? No.  Do I have a bag of magic tricks? No.

There’s no kit with a top hat and a wand that you wave over your head and then
Presto! You can now sail through tests without studying and without concentrating.

I can show you what to do. You have to finish the job.

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Students and parents make a great audience

We had a book reading and signing at Clayton Books in Clayton CA last night.  I greatly enjoy the interaction with students and parents.

The lively discussion produced some interesting questions. One, from a parent, was: “What if my child has trouble focusing while studying, but not during a test?”

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Agnes, 4th grader, uses The Workbook!

At our Chinese-American Thanksgiving feast, our cousins Tommy and Daisy told us about their fourth-grader Agnes, and how she’s using THE WORKBOOK FOR TEST SUCCESS. “She’s going through the checklists and thinking about herself and checking off things,” Tommy told us.   While the book is written for high school and college students, knowing that a younger child finds it relevant is great news. Many parents of young kids are buying the book because they (the parents) want to know how to help prepare their children for all the pressures of test-taking and especially to help reduce test-taking anxiety.  If the book can help teach effective study skills also to a 4th grader, we’re delighted!

As a matter of fact, I wrote a chapter especially for parents. so this is not a test prep book only for students. I want parents to have the help they need to guide their kids through the treacherous terrain of test taking.

Let us know your stories about younger kids and test-taking anxiety, and how you teach them effective study skills.

An interested reader: high school sophomore

On Sunday there was a book signing at Barnes & Noble in San Bruno, California

It was so interesting to see who came up to the table to ask about the book and question me about their own issues regarding test taking.

Students:  a number of high school students were curious about the book. Their issues? Getting nervous during tests. Procrastination while they’re supposed to be studying. Losing confidence when they have a difficult question. The test prep books on the market don’t adequately handle these issues. Yet, when mastered as effective study skills they can make the difference between a high and low test score.

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