In the Test Room — Part 2

Get comfortable in your chair.
2. Make every muscle in your body tense and keep it that way. Start with your head then work down your body. Notice the feel of every muscle as you go down your body. Scowl to tense your forehead, pull in your chin to tense your neck. Squeeze your shoulders down to tense your back. Pull in your stomach to your ribs, make your lower back tight then stretch your fingers. Make your leg muscles and calves knot then stretch your feet and your toes. You should be as stiff as a board throughout your entire body.Now relax your muscles in reverse starting with your toes. Notice how all the muscles feel as you relax them. Make sure to keep all the muscles relaxed as proceed up your body. Focus on how you are feeling as all the tension leaves. Start breathing deeply when you get to your chest muscles.
• Don’t sit near any windows so what goes on outside doesn’t distract you.
• Sit away from the aisle so you aren’t distracted by people that leave early. People that leave the exam room early are usually the ones who fail. Don’t compare your time to theirs (e2 plagi gnagawa ko dati pero hindi nung board exam.maanxious ka lng).
• Don’t sit near any attractive friends or classmates. This will be a distraction – you can chat with them all you like after the exam.
• Sit in a well lit area of the room (well ventilated din!).
• Ask the instructor to close the door if there is a lot of noise outside. After all, it’s the instructor’s job to create the perfect test conditions. If the instructor does not want to close the door, block out the noise as best you can. Don’t let anything disturb you. (kaya nga pnprepare tayo e)
• Make you have enough pencils, pens and whatever else you will need. Bring candy bars also in case you get hungry. It can be a big distraction if you are hungry.
• Make sure you’re warm by bringing a jacket or sweater. Don’t get distracted by being cold. Dress in layers so that you are prepared for a range of temperature.
• Have a watch to bring with you so you always know what time it is. Don’t look up at the clock as something may distract you. If you don’t own a watch, buy one or borrow one. You don’t want students with watches having the advantage over you by knowing what time it is.
You may feel as though you need to take pep pills or tranquilizers. That may be fine, however realize there are pros and cons. Some students need help from pills, however it is unlikely they won’t help you pass an exam.
If you didn’t get enough sleep, pep pills will work to keep you awake but they will not help you to focus and concentrate. What pep pills will do is make it harder for you to think straight when solving complicated problems on the exam.
If you are the type that gets extremely anxious, tranquilizers can help you relax. They have not proven effective with young students. On the down side, tranquilizers not only make you less alert, they can also decrease your motivation. Being motivated is what you need to get you through an exam.
If you have never taken pep pills or tranquilizers, right before an exam is not the time to start. You need to know how they will effect you before you use them during an exam. Think about it first and weight the pros and cons.
Concentrate
Keep out as many distractions as possible. Focus on the test and nothing but the test. Avoid making unnecessary mistakes and losing points.
Get it down on Paper
If you spend a lot of time worrying about whether you will be able to remember all the information like names, dates and places, there’s a solution for that. Since most of the time you can’t take notes with you into the exam room, you can however make notes once you’re in there. Once you get your test, write down on a small piece of paper everything you are afraid you’ll forget. It’ll take a minute or two but by dumping your worries onto paper it’s less time consuming than sitting there panicked that you might forget.