Learning Styles and test or exam anxiety

There are different learning styles and it is important to know which learning style you use, that can help you to adjust everything you do to fit your learning needs, knowing it can also help reduce test/exam anxiety.

There are three learning styles that are often used; these are Auditory learning style , Visual learning style and the Tactile/ Kinaesthetic style .

Auditory learners are those who learn best by participating in discussions, listening to your lecturer, so they learn by hearing things. It would probably be difficult for an auditory learner to remember something they only read on a piece of paper, they need to hear it being said by someone to remember it.

People who learn by seeing are called visual learners, they learn best if information is presented to them in a visual format for example written language, pictures, diagrams or videos. They usually make comprehensive notes in class. These kinds of learners need to create diagrams and use pictures that help them to understand concepts.

Does that sound like you? If not then you could be a tactile or kinaesthetic learner, you are hands-on when it comes to your learning experience. You need to physically participate in the learning process, for instance, if you are learning about how to bake a cake you will not be satisfied with just reading the instructions, you would want the instructor to go through the practical process with you. You feel the need to touch something for your learning experience to be complete.

Having talked about the different learning styles it is wise however for one to also develop the other learning styles so that you can be able to function effectively in different situations.

Most people panic when they need to write a test or an exam this is referred to as test/exam anxiety.

How do you know when you are suffering from test anxiety and how can you deal with it?

Firstly, to reduce your chances of having test anxiety you need to prepare in advance for the test or exam that would include knowledge about your learning style. It is however apparently beneficial to experience a minimal amount of anxiety before a test situation because it can help you to perform better. Too much anxiety interferes with your ability to study, learn, remember things and perform well. The following are characteristics of test anxiety:

à You don’t believe you will pass no matter how hard you have studied

à You experience difficulty sitting down to study

à While studying you are easily distracted

à When writing the test or exam you feel uncomfortable, your stomach is upset, you have a headache, sweaty palms, struggle to breathe and your muscles get tense.

à You experience difficulty in understanding directions and questions presented

à Your thoughts are disorganised

à You forget what you studied

à You lose focus

à You receive lower marks than you do in your assignment or classwork

à After the test or exam is over you remember all the information you were not able to recall when you needed to

To reduce test anxiety, you need to prepare well for the test until you feel confident that you will give a good performance and while preparing you need to have a positive attitude, your focus should be on passing.

If you don’t have a positive attitude you fail before you even write anything.

You need to learn to RELAX, take deep breaths if you feel the anxiety coming over you. Getting enough sleep the previous night also reduces anxiety and, in the morning, eat a small healthy breakfast to keep your energy levels high. When it’s exam time, use all the time allocated to write the exam, do not rush to finish.

If you find a test difficult, turn your focus to those questions you know and understand, do not panic this will not only help increase your confidence levels but it will also make you relax. Once the test results come back and you are not happy with your performance then use that as a learning experience don’t get depressed and discouraged.

Remember to give yourself enough time to prepare and to try and relax while writing the exam or test.