We’ve all had that dreaded test or exam in some form or another. It may have been a driving test, school exam, test for work, ballet exam, or ice skating test.
Tests cause most of us quite a lot of stress, depending on the importance of the test. Most likely, though, we are all nervous to some degree about any type of test. We want to do well and perform well.
So, how can you learn from any test situation?
1. Learn from the way you react beforehand. How did you act when you were nervous or stressed? Did you begin practicing, studying, or working towards your test? Did you take your frustration out on your family or friends? Did you go for a walk to feel calm before sitting down to prepare?
2. Use the test date to motivate yourself. When you set a date for something important, it feels real and you are more likely to act. You can use a test to help spark that enthusiasm or drive to work hard preparing.
3. Use your test to set goals, and improve your goal setting with each test. Goals are important in achieving our best performances. You can set goals to help you get to where you want to be on your test date. If you set goals every time you take a test, you will improve your goal-setting skills as well.
4. Use your test to learn from how you perform under stress. We all perform differently under stress. However, whether it is difficult or easy for you to perform in stressful situations, you can still improve. Every time you perform, you become more comfortable with it. It’s natural to become less stressed, more confident, and enjoy it more.
5. Evaluate your performance in a positive manner. To learn most, it is always a good idea to evaluate yourself after important events such as a test. Evaluate your performance objectively, which may mean a positive evaluation or constructive criticism. Either way, it is important to find a few areas for improvement but also to pick out positive aspects to your performance.
Try to find 3-5 positives if possible. One could be that you were organized for your test with pens, pencils, paper, water, and any other items you needed. Another could be that you kept a positive mental attitude throughout the test. By evaluating your performance in a test situation, you can then learn from both unsuccessful and successful tests.
Try using one or all of these tips for a test or performance. See how you do compared to other times, how you improve the next time because of it, and how your mental attitude improves. If you have a system that works for you already, continue using it. Maybe you will want to add one tip. It’s up to you. 🙂
I’d love to hear about any of your test-related experiences or what has worked for you!
Photo Credit: Photo by Jin Thai.
The last one ” Evaluate your performance in a positive manner” is the hardest to do. As we’re being too honest our selves how can a person with a average mindset can look at thing in a positive matter? Thanks for sharing hope you understand my point!
amazing post christina thankyou so much……after reading this article i had passed my university exams after failing couple of times in it. This article gaved me motivation and i started learning from failure. And finally my failure turned into success. Failure is success if we learn from it…..someone said well said. Again thankyou so much christina for this wonderful article…it really helped me a lot.