Test Anxiety and the Bar Exam: How Should You Handle It?

As the bar exam draws closer, most people feel stressed, worried, or apprehensive. But for some people, these feelings are in overdrive. If you find yourself catastrophizing the outcome of the exam, getting distracted while studying, sleeping poorly, thinking you’ll never be prepared and never pass, or feeling physically ill from worry, you are likely experiencing test anxiety.

What is Test Anxiety?

Test anxiety is the feeling of dread or fear and the cycle of catastrophizing that occurs before or during an exam. It also produces a wide range of physical symptoms including rapid heart rate, headaches, nausea, sweating, dizziness, shortness of breath, shaking, dry mouth, heart palpitations (feeling like your heart is beating very heard or thumping in your chest), or chest pain. For whatever reason, your mind sees exams as a threat, which leads your body to release a series of hormones and physical reactions to prepare your body to deal with the threat.

Many people who suffer from test anxiety do not perform well on tests. Neuroscientists have found that anxiety interferes with our ability to process information and solve problems. Moreover, when your body experiences anxiety, it temporarily shuts down unnecessary functions, like memory. This is what causes people to “blank” when taking an exam.

So if this all sounds familiar, what can you do about it?

Eat, Drink, Sleep

First, take care of yourself physically. Make sure you are eating well, drinking enough water, get exercise, and getting enough sleep. If test anxiety is getting in the way of your sleep, making your bedroom a study free zone can be very helpful. Sleep studies have shown that keeping work and studying out of your bedroom makes it easier for your brain to shut off when it’s time to go to sleep. You can also start a bedtime routine to help your body and brain prepare for sleep. Stop working, turn off all of your electronics, and shift your focus towards physical and mental relaxation.

Learn How to Relax

Second, find some relaxation techniques that work well for you. I’ve discussed yoga and breathing exercises in previous posts, and those can be great tools.

Meditation can calm an overactive brain that can’t stop worrying or having those racing, anxious thoughts. It teaches you to bring your attention to one thing instead of letting your mind wander off in a series of what ifs and catastrophes.

Progressive muscle relaxation is also very helpful. Progressive muscle relaxation teaches you to relax your muscles, first by tensing specific muscle groups, and then releasing the tension.  When you’re anxious, you can get so tense throughout the day that you forget what being relaxed feels like. This exercise teaches you the difference and gives you a way to actively relax your body.

Address Your Fears

Recent studies have found that people with test anxiety respond very well to writing down their fears and then writing a response of why that fear will not come true. So, for example, your fear is failing the bar exam. First write down everything you did to ensure you will do well. You studied, your gave yourself plenty of time to prepare, you are well-rested, etc. Stop anxiety by proving it wrong.

What About During the Actual Bar Exam?

You also need a plan to deal with test anxiety during the bar itself. If you find yourself panicking or blanking on information during the bar exam, you’ll need a way to address it in the moment. Remember that trying to fight your way through the exam isn’t going to work. You’re not going to accomplish anything until you calm down, so shift your focus from the exam to relaxing your body so that your brain can do what you need it to do.

Start with some breathing exercises and progressive muscle relaxation, if even just for 2 minutes. Calming your body will help calm your mind by stopping the release of stress hormones and hyperventilation. Then talk yourself through the exercise you did in writing. What are you afraid of? Failing the bar? Ok. Did you study? Yes. Remind yourself of this. You had a plan and you followed it. You put in the time. When you “blank” on an exam, it’s temporary- it is a response to stress. So once you have done some breathing and talked yourself down, look at the question again. Once you’ve settled your mind and your body, you’ll be able to retrieve the information you need.

Test anxiety can be frustrating, but you can take steps to manage it. You’ve worked hard to prepare for the bar exam so tackle test anxiety just like you’ve tackled studying!

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Did you find this post helpful? Check out some other great articles:

• Steps to Making Your Own Bar Exam Schedule
• Why Really Wanting to Pass the Bar Exam Isn’t Enough
• 6 Study Strategies to Get the Most Out of Bar Exam Prep
• Train Like an Athlete for the Bar Exam 

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