Anxiety Issues with the timer while PTing

himynameisjen

Hi everyone,

My biggest issue right now is not freaking out while taking timed prep tests and I'm stuck on how to get over this feeling. I'm BRing in the 170s, so I know that I know the curriculum and that's not the issue. But every time I sit down to take a prep test and I start the timer, I feel my heart racing, I start panicking and I just fly through the questions to get to the end, and it's really impacting how well I'm doing on the timed sections.

I'm not sure what to do to calm my nerves. I've tried doing breathing exercises before sitting down to take a test but it doesn't seem to help.

Any advice would be helpful!

Sami

@himynameisjen said:
Hi everyone,

My biggest issue right now is not freaking out while taking timed prep tests and I'm stuck on how to get over this feeling. I'm BRing in the 170s, so I know that I know the curriculum and that's not the issue. But every time I sit down to take a prep test and I start the timer, I feel my heart racing, I start panicking and I just fly through the questions to get to the end, and it's really impacting how well I'm doing on the timed sections.

I'm not sure what to do to calm my nerves. I've tried doing breathing exercises before sitting down to take a test but it doesn't seem to help.

Any advice would be helpful!

One thing I like doing during drills is to do an untimed section and at the end see how long I take. This enforces to me that i actually do not need to keep track of time because I can just with my own strategies finish the section earlier than time is called.

The other strategy you can try which I have started incorporating is breathing between each game, RC passage, and between each LR page turns. You want to put your pencil down and take a deep breath and exhale. You want your exhale to be longer than inhale. The point of this exercise is to get out of the flight and fight mode your body is thinking its in and a deep exhale counteracts this process.

himynameisjen

@Sami said:
The other strategy you can try which I have started incorporating is breathing between each game, RC passage, and between each LR page turns. You want to put your pencil down and take a deep breath and exhale. You want your exhale to be longer than inhale. The point of this exercise is to get out of the flight and fight mode your body is thinking its in and a deep exhale counteracts this process.

This sounds like a really good idea. Thank you!

Alex

I think this is normal in the beginning stages of taking timed sections or tests. The more timed work I do, the less I find it really freaks me out. Definitely just try to keep it all in perspective. This test isn't life or death, and moreover, a PT doesn't count for anything. So don't let it freak you out too much.

A really great book I read a few months back that helped me was "Performing Under Pressure: The Science of Doing Your Best When It Matters Most "

A good chunk of the book talks about test taking and strategies for dealing with the timed pressure.

https://www.amazon.com/Performing-Under-Pressure-Science-Matters/dp/0804136726

Seeking Perfection

A lot of people swear by meditation. I felt anxious and it helped a little, but my anxiety never really altered my scoring anyway so I don't know if it would have helped with that.

TabbyG123

I definitely have this issue sometimes. I try to move really fast, and end up just reading the same sentence or answer choice a few times in a row spinning my wheels. Ive since tried to develop a more deliberate approach, where I move slower and aim for accuracy, only reading things once and reading them really well the first time.

If you drink coffee, I'd recommend switching to green tea.

Meditation has definitely helped me too. Seriously improved my quality of life.

I also journal at night before bed. I think even just writing this post about it will help.

Weird recommendations maybe, but to be honest, I think test anxiety comes from overall feeling fear of the test. So if youre in a good mental state (you feel good about your future and feel confident in your abilities regardless of your score), you will feel less anxiety. Ive had anxiety for a big part of my life. Ive kind if had to convince myself that I am fine and that I am okay regardless of my score, even if my fears are screaming at me. Fake it till you make it i guess.

samantha.ashley92

I have two suggestions. First, use a stop watch instead of a timer. You'll start to get a natural feel for how long you're taking on each question. This is also similar to test day, since you'll just have a clock in front of you. Second, try breaking down the 35 minutes into smaller timed sections. At least for me, fewer questions at a time feels less overwhelming. The timing actually works out so that every 5 questions is 7 minutes. Try that first. From there, do 10 questions in 14 minutes, 15 questions in 21 minutes, and 20 questions in 28 minutes. The idea here is that it will build up your confidence in the ability to stay within time constraints. Good luck!

himynameisjen

@"Alex Divine" said:
Definitely just try to keep it all in perspective. This test isn't life or death, and moreover, a PT doesn't count for anything. So don't let it freak you out too much.

This is definitely my biggest issue and what I think is causing the anxiety. I think I'm overthinking its importance, leading me to sabotage myself.

himynameisjen

@"nicolas.saw" said:
So if youre in a good mental state (you feel good about your future and feel confident in your abilities regardless of your score), you will feel less anxiety.

I've started thinking this way and it is helping, thank you.

himynameisjen

@"samantha.ashley92" said:
Second, try breaking down the 35 minutes into smaller timed sections. At least for me, fewer questions at a time feels less overwhelming. The timing actually works out so that every 5 questions is 7 minutes. Try that first. From there, do 10 questions in 14 minutes, 15 questions in 21 minutes, and 20 questions in 28 minutes. The idea here is that it will build up your confidence in the ability to stay within time constraints. Good luck!

This is a really good idea. Thank you!