Ashley E. Bennet, Heartland Community College, Illinois
Not long ago, I took my first step onto the Heartland Community College campus
as a legitimate college student. Having gone through the placement testing, piles
of enrollment paper work, supply shopping, and various other preparations, I felt
ready and eager to begin what I “thought” college would be. However, what I
experienced was nowhere near what I expected. Beginning college is a
challenging experience for anyone; however for me, adjusting from home
schooling to a college campus of roughly 15,000 students was a blind free fall.
You see, attending Heartland was the first time I had ever been in a formal
classroom. Previously, all of my learning had been done at home. I took my tests
on a computer program, and if I got an answer wrong, I used it as feedback. Then
I’d study what I got wrong, learn it more thoroughly, and retake the test.
In my first semester in college, I took two courses: algebra and a success course.
In math, I had one major difficulty: the terrors of testing. I took tests every
Monday, and they were so different from what I was used to. Just thinking about
the tests beforehand caused me emotional distress in my day-to-day life. When I
studied, I struggled to retain information due my anxiety. Actually, anxiety
doesn’t even begin to describe what I felt. I would breach the threshold of a full
on panic attack before I even left for class. At the test, I would sit down, fiddle,
get distracted, fiddle some more, and then slip into complete hysteria simply
thinking about the time as it continued ticking away, with my test nowhere near
finished. For the first couple of weeks, I went through the same panic before and
during every test. I thought there was no escaping it…fortunately, I was wrong!
When I look back today and consider all that I went through back then, I am
amazed and proud of the accomplishments that I have made since. Armed with
the On Course textbook from my success course, I came across helpful strategies
for taking tests. As I began to use the strategies, I gained a great deal of
confidence and improved my ability to study and take exams.
First, I began to prepare for tests differently. One thing I did was organize
thorough study materials. One was a variation of the 3-column approach for
studying math. I would solve problems and alongside I’d put down key terms so I
could remember the formulas. That helped take a pretty major weight of worry
off my shoulders. I’m a big tea drinker, and I’d relax while studying by treating
myself to my favorite tea. I also created an affirmation to help me feel more
confident: I am prepared to do my best on this test. I would review almost
anywhere. For example, sometimes I’d stop when I was leaving the house and
see if I could remember a formula or a way to solve a particular problem.
I also used new strategies during tests. I started arriving at the test about 20
minutes early. This gave me time to find a good seat, do some breathing
exercises, say my affirmation, and clear my head. When the test began, I worked
on the easier problems first and saved the more challenging ones until later. This
got my confidence up and set me up for doing my best. The final test in my math
class gave me an opportunity to see how helpful these strategies are. I made it
through all the questions I knew without looking at the clock. Then I went back
to do the harder ones. The strategies I used obviously worked for me because I
got an A in math.
My anxiety level on the first math tests I took was about a seven or eight on a
scale of ten. After I started using my new strategies, my test anxiety went down
to a three. As my first semester is coming to a close, I can say with confidence
that I am and will continue to be prepared to do my best on any and every test.
Questions
Question 1
Ashley discussed the anxiety she felt joining a formal college
classroom after years of homeschooling and online learning. Is
there an element of the college experience or environment that
causes you to worry? Write briefly about what concerns you and try
to identify new behaviors and strategies that might help you
overcome these fears and concerns.
Question 2
2. Ashley identified her math course as the most challenging, and
she committed to using several new approaches to studying that
helped her improve. Briefly write about your most challenging
course. Why do you find this course more difficult? What could you
do to improve?
Taking tests: Do one different thing this week
In this section of your Toolbox for Active Learners, you’ve been
introduced to 28 strategies for taking tests. Here’s an opportunity
to experiment with one of them. First, review the strategies.
Identify those you marked because they could help with one of
your challenges. Now pick the one strategy you think would best
help you improve your ability to take tests.
Below, write the strategy with which you will experiment. Write
just the number of the strategy and the one-sentence description of
it that is in bold print. (For example, “26. Analyze your
errors.”) To build a habit, it’s best to take the action every day.
This will work fine if you choose an action that can be done Before
or After a test. However, if the strategy you choose is done While
you are taking a test, you are unlikely to have seven tests in seven
days. If this is the case, practice your chosen strategy for seven
tests (or quizzes) in a row. After your experiment (seven days or
seven tests), assess your results. If your understanding of how to be
an effective test taker improves, you’ll have a learning tool that will
maximize your grades in higher education.
1-Record your commitment for taking tests here (again, just the
number of the strategy and the one-sentence description of it in
bold). Which days of the week—or for how many of the last seven
tests (or quizzes) you took—did you keep your commitment?
2-During your seven-day (or seven-test/seven-quiz) experiment,
what happened?
3. As a result of what happened, what did you learn or relearn?
4. Complete this sentence: As a result of what you learned or
relearned, I will…
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