Tag Archive for: test taking

Back to School Challenges? These Special Offers Can Help.

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Back to school challenges

I remember some  back to school challenges when I started 3rd grade. I was pretty nervous. My teacher was going to be Mrs. O’Brian and I heard that she wasn’t very nice.  My mom had taken me to school for the first day of 2nd grade at my new school, but since she now had 7 other kids to care for, I was on my own and I think I even had to walk to school that day.

Turns out Mrs. O’Brian wasn’t very nice. She yelled a lot and I was afraid of her. I think teachers were a lot different in 1969.

Not only that, but it seemed like my fellow students got meaner in the 3rd grade. More fights, violent games, bullying. I can say that I started to feel stress in the third grade; more homework, projects, reports. Of course, my parents were having back to school challenges of their own, with kids in kinder, 1st, 2nd and 3rd grades and 4 more at home.

Back to school challenges can cause stress for parents and children, as well as adult students returning to school. Just helping my kids with homework makes me want to have a drink. For many parents, myself included, getting kids up, dressed and to school on time has the potential to ruin a day.

Students often have to deal with anxiety about tests, more homework, scary teachers and fellow students, and the transition from no school to back to school.

If you or your child is experiencing any of these back to school challenges, I can help.

  •  I work with kids age 12 on up to help them with back to school challenges such as general anxiety regarding transitioning into the next grade level or a new school, as well as test anxiety, focus and concentration, and sleep problems.
  • I also work with adult students going back to school, some for the first time in years. Dealing with back to school challenges after being out for a few years can be a stressful adjustment. I can assist with text anxiety, focus and concentration. In addition, I can help with time management, procrastination and motivation.
  • I help parents deal with the stress of back to school challenges. I’m very aware that my mood and attitude in the mornings can affect my kids and their day. In spite of that awareness, I still find myself getting frustrated and impatient. Fortunately, there are many tools that can help me have the attitude and patience to send my children off to school in a way that is productive and conducive to learning. These are the tools I am able to teach to parents as well as using the Moreno Method for Life Transformation to change negative habits and patterns of thinking.

So for those experiencing  back to school challenges, I’m offering back to school specials!

 If you are an adult student, I’ll offer you a student discount for four sessions that gives you $100 off of my regular fee for four sessions. (That’s a value of $548 for only $447) (Sorry, no phone sessions)

 If you are a parent and you have a child 12 or over that needs help, pay for four sessions for your child and I’ll give you a complementary hour and half session with an audio recording of the session that you can listen to at home. I’ll give you a copy of my book “The Ultimate Guide to Letting Go of Negativity and Fear and Loving Life,” and my “Peaceful Place Relaxation CD” After you drop your kids off at school, of course.  (That’s a value of $685 for only $548) (Sorry no phone sessions)

What if you’re not a student, have no kids in school, but need to work on something to make life better? Come in for four sessions (or do phone sessions), and this is what you’ll get:

Geez, what am I thinking, that’s a $693 value for only $497. Maybe I’m just happy that it’s cooling down here in SoCal. If you are interested, click here or call me local (626) 826-0612 or  toll free (855) 837-8477. Oh, by the way, this offer expires the first day of Autumn, September 22nd, 2013. After that, prices go up!  (Note that all sessions must be paid in full at first session.)

Why not give yourself and your student the chance to overcome those back to school challenges and have more calm, comfort and concentration? Click here or call me at (626) 826-0612 or toll free (855) 837-8477.

Wishing you, and your family and warm and relaxing Fall season.

 Ted

Test Anxiety: How to Deal With It.

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test anxiety

At the end of July all over the country, thousands of people will take the bar exam and fail due to test anxiety.

The failure rate in California in 2004 was 56 percent. Although some will fail because they are not worried enough, many will fail because they are worried to the point of test anxiety.

Test anxiety can show up as early as first and second grades as well as in high school. A 2006 U.S. Department of Education-funded study conducted by the Institute of HeartMath and Claremont Graduate University with 980 10th-grade students found that 61% of all students reported being affected by test anxiety.

What is test anxiety?

It is a psychological condition where the test taker feels severe distress before, during and after the test; one can get so nervous and anxious about doing well (or just passing), that performance on a test is negatively affected. If you know how a college final can produce this type of anxiety, then imagine having test anxiety while taking the bar exam, or an exam for licensure, where the stakes are high and there has been a significant investment in both money and time.

It’s normal to have some type of nervousness about taking a test and in fact, this nervousness can be helpful by getting us into a state where we are pumped up to do well. When this nervousness escalates into test anxiety, however, it can not only interfere with recall of information but may create a reaction so intense that it some people give up taking the exam entirely, or continue to put it off until “someday”.

 Test anxiety is a form of performance anxiety.

Performance anxiety is where someone is extremely nervous about having to produce a result in a limited time period or in front of people who are judging them. Test anxiety, stage fright, fear of public speaking and “choking” in sports performance fall into this category.

Symptoms of performance anxiety are similar to most other forms of anxiety reactions: rapid heartbeat, sweaty palms, shortness of breath, shakiness, confusion, or other physical aches or pains such as nausea or a stomach ache.

In my work as a hypnotherapist with people who are challenged by test anxiety, I notice that many of these people share similar characteristics, such as being prone to high stress, having perfectionist tendencies, or worrying a lot. Most instances of test anxiety can be dealt with in just a few hypnotherapy sessions, but here are some suggestions you can put to use right away.

Tips for dealing with text anxiety

• Diet can affect your ability to think and recall information. If you are skipping meals or eating meals or snacks high in carbs while studying for an exam, then you may be experiencing episodes of low blood sugar (blood glucose). Since the organ that uses the most glucose is the brain, a balanced diet can be helpful in creating optimal brain power. Have healthy snacks while you study.

• Sleep seems to go by the wayside when students are preparing for exams. Plan your study time for when you feel the most alert, which for most people is not usually late at night. But if that works for you, then make sure you’re getting the amount of sleep that’s right for you. It’s probably more than you think. It makes sense to be well rested in the days leading up to a major exam, yes?

• Lack of preparation can cause test anxiety. Last minute cramming can leave you feeling like you are not ready, creating anxiety. Manage your time by organizing your schedule to give yourself the best conditions for learning. Decide ahead of time when, and for how long you will study. I suggest studying in periods of 50 minutes to one hour, with 10 to 15 minute breaks in between.

• Effective Preparation. Many people will only prepare for an exam by cramming the information into their heads. This is only half the equation; taking the test will involve recalling the information. Prepare for the exam by taking as many practice tests as you can as soon as you can. This will also clue you in as to what areas require more study.

• Watch your self talk. Self talk is your internal language or thoughts. Avoid scaring yourself with inner conversations like “I know I’m going to just blank out right in the middle of the test!” or “I just suck at taking tests!” Give yourself encouragement and support. Use positive affirmations in the days and weeks leading up to the exam. (Click here to read more about affirmations.)

• Mental visualization can be one of the most effective techniques you can use to mentally “rehearse” taking the test while feeling calm, relaxed and comfortable. See yourself walking out of the testing location feeling good about your performance. Imagine receiving the information that you have passed. Setting a goal of passing with a particular score increases the chances that you will.

• Extreme self care might be getting massages in the days or weeks before the exam to release excess tension and stress. Get a good night’s sleep the night before the exam, and don’t even thing about showing up without eating a good meal with protein. Daily walking or any type of exercise can also be a great stress reliever. Remember, anxiety comes from prolonged stress and tension. Find ways to release it.

For the most part, test anxiety is a learned response. With practice, you can unlearn test anxiety and learn a different reaction. Have faith in your brain, and cultivate a strong and abiding belief that you can and will pass!

Ted

How To Beat Test Anxiety

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Been a hot  summer here in Southern California.  It’s still hot even though today, 6 days into fall,  mornings are cooler and days are getting shorter.  One thing I’ve noticed,  traffic is heavier because everyone is back to school.

When I was in school,  I pretty much skated by, hardly studied, and did pretty good. It was the same in high school. In college, however, I suffered the consequences of no real study habits. I would cram the night before, like I always did, but when it came time to recall the information, my mind went blank. The problem was that when I did study, I didn’t do much better. Fact is, I just wasn’t used to being challenged by exams and when I was, I got shut down.

Hey, I was lazy! I admit. But can you imagine blanking out, shutting down, and being gripped by anxiety after thorough preparation and study? It’s called test anxiety. A 2006 U.S. Department of Education-funded study conducted by the Institute of HeartMath and Claremont Graduate University with 980 10th-grade students found that 61% of all students reported being affected by test anxiety. This is where you can get so nervous and anxious about doing well (or just passing), that  performance on a test is negatively affected.  If you can see how a college  final can produce this type of anxiety, then imagine having this anxiety while taking the bar exam, or an exam for licensure, where the stakes are high and both money and time may have been heavily invested.

Test anxiety is a form of performance anxiety, where someone is extremely nervous about having to produce a result in a limited time period or in front of people who are judging them. Stage fright, fear of public speaking and “choking” in sports performance fall into this category.

Of course, it’s normal to have some type of nervousness about taking a test and in fact, this nervousness can be helpful by getting us into a space where we are pumped up to do well. When this nervousness escalates into anxiety,  however, it can not only interfere with recall of information but may create a reaction so intense that it may cause some people to give up taking the exam entirely, or to continue putting it off until “someday”.

Symptoms of this type of anxiety are similar to most other forms of anxiety  reactions: rapid heartbeat, sweaty palms, shortness of breath, shakiness,  confusion, or other physical aches or pains.

In my work as a hypnotherapist with people who are challenged by test anxiety, I notice that many of these people share similar characteristics, such as being highly stressed, having perfectionist tendencies, or being worried a lot. Most instances of test anxiety can be dealt with in just a few hypnotherapy sessions, but here are some suggestions you can put to use right away.

* Diet can affect your ability to think and recall information. If you are skipping meals or eating meals or snacks high in carbs while studying for an exam, then you may be experiencing episodes of low blood sugar (glucose). Since the organ the uses the most glucose is the brain, a balanced diet can be helpful in creating optimal brain power. Have healthy snacks while you study.

*Sleep seems to go by the wayside when students are preparing for exams. Plan your study time for when you feel the most alert, which for most people is not usually late at night. But if that works for you, then make sure you’re getting the amount of sleep that’s right for you. It’s probably more than you think. Kind of makes sense to be well rested in the days leading up to a major exam, no?

*Lack of preparation can cause test anxiety. Last minute cramming may leave you feeling like you are not ready, and that can be scary. Pay attention to time management, organizing your schedule  to give yourself  teh best conditions for learning. Decide ahead of time when, and for how long you will study.

*Watch your self talk. Avoid scaring yourself with conversations such as  ” I know I’m going to just blank out right in the middle of the test!” Give yourself encouragement and support. Use positive affirmations in the days and weeks leading up to the exam. (See my previous post of June 29th )

*Mental visualization can be one of the most effective techniques you can use to “rehearse” taking the test while feeling calm, relaxed and comfortable. See yourself walking out of the testing location feeling good about your performance.

*Extreme self care might be getting a massage the day before the exam to release excess tension and stress. Get a good nights sleep the night before the exam, and don’t even thing about showing up without eating a good meal with protein. Daily walking or any type of exercise can also be a great stress reliever. Remember, anxiety comes from prolonged stress and tension. Find ways to release it.

For the most part, test anxiety is a learned response, and if you can learn something you can unlearn it and learn a different reaction. If you or someone you know is blocked from success by an inability to do well on exams, I can help. I’ll give anybody coming in for test anxiety their second session for no charge after their first paid session at my regular rate. Have a great fall!

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Tman

 Ted A. Moreno 
Personal/Small Business Coach
Certified Hypnotherapist
Specializing in Your Success
www.TedMoreno.com                                                                       
 (626) 826-0612