Many students will be taking exams again in the next few weeks . At the end of the semester, we examine what the students have learned and what they have not learned in the previous weeks of lectures. Many freshmen will be facing this experience for the first time. Many students are already feeling uneasy when they think about the upcoming exam and some are afraid. Exam anxiety. We talked to Sabine Thalmayr about what exactly exam anxiety actually is, how it arises and how you can get rid of it. She is a naturopath in the field of psychology and hypotherapist . Her book “Don’t be afraid of exam anxiety” was published by CBX Publishing in January.
Ms. Thalmayr, what is the difference between stage fright and exam anxiety?
Having stage fright is completely normal and also good. It makes us more productive and helps us focus on a specific point. The excitement of stage fright usually passes within the first few moments of the exam. For example, if the student notices that he or she can answer the questions and is well prepared for the exam.
Exam anxiety is much more than just stage fright. In such cases, the brain assesses the exam situation as a real danger that threatens the student. Students who suffer from exam anxiety often experience a blackout in the exam situation, no matter how well they are prepared. Due to the shock reaction of the test, the brain stops thinking and only reacts in the same way as in the event of a real danger.
Why doesn't everyone perceive an exam as a danger?
This depends entirely on the individual personality and background. Students who suffer from exam anxiety often bring a lot of pressure on themselves. In many cases, this internal pressure also has something to do with the individual's upbringing. In other words, what kind of pressure your own parents used to exert during exams: Was the person who took a bad exam encouraged or criticized further by their parents?
In addition to the real fear of the exam, exam anxiety is often mixed with neurotic fear, i.e. the fear of fear. For example, if a student has only taken bad exams in a particular exam room, then their brain will associate the exam room with the fear of the exam. So the student is afraid of failing again because he has to take an exam again in this particular exam room.
What helps against the fear of the exam situation?
Basically, the exam situation that has been stored as unpleasant must be changed into a somewhat pleasant atmosphere. This means that the fear-triggering images in the brain have to be re-sorted and evaluated so that they are no longer perceived as threatening. This can be achieved, for example, through suggestion.
How do you get the brain to store images?
This cannot be said in general terms. However, what often works is the sense of smell or hearing. If there is a certain smell - for example an essential oil - that you like to smell, that relaxes you, then you can consciously take this smell with you into the exam room, saved as negative. Simply put a few drops of the scent on a tissue and smell it before the test. The smell then puts the brain straight back into the situation in which one felt comfortable before and helps to perceive the exam and the exam room more positively.
Or you can use your sense of hearing. In this case, simply listen to quiet music that you like and relax while you study. Then listen to the music before the exam and put yourself back in a feel-good mode.
What should students do if such little tricks don't help with exam anxiety?
In general, these two exercises, but also the others that I describe in my book and on my CDs, are like learning vocabulary: they don't get stuck in the brain straight away and have to be repeated. If you feel like you can't get your anxiety under control on your own, you should definitely seek professional treatment and see a therapist. This person can then take a close look at where the fear of exams comes from and how the student can be strengthened and their helplessness taken away.
Are you permanently free of exam anxiety after professional treatment?
In therapy - just as with the trick with smell and music - it is ensured that situations are reinterpreted by the brain and that synapses are reconnected. The aim is for the patient to evaluate the frightening situation of the test differently afterwards. Patients with exam anxiety are gradually guided to reinterpret the frightening images in their heads and perceive them in a more relaxed manner. Until finally the fear of exams turned back into normal stage fright.
Students with test anxiety learn in therapy that they are not at the mercy of the fear, but can do something about it. When they learn to deal with their exam anxiety, they become a little more self-determined.
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Here you can meet Sabine Thalmayr and talk to her about your exam anxiety.
