The California Subject Tests for Teachers, or CSET tests, are taken by thousands of credential candidates each year. Many start with a CSET test preparation program, but one component that is often missing from their CSET preparation plan is an effective strategy for dealing with test anxiety.
Whether you are a prospective elementary school teacher taking the multi-subject CSET exam or a single-subject credential candidate planning to teach in high school, passing the CSET is critical to your career. The stakes are high, and you want to perform well on the test, so it’s completely natural to feel nervous on test day, or even during the test prep days leading up to the test.
The problem is that excessive anxiety can actually affect your performance. According to a study conducted at the College of Charleston, test takers with higher levels of test anxiety performed worse than those with lower levels of anxiety, at least on certain types of tests.
Test anxiety can rob us of our focus and fill our minds with distracting thoughts, which seems to further interfere with our ability to perform complex tasks. An anxious test taker can answer the question “What is 2+2?” with the same ease as a calm test taker, but you may not be able to answer a deeper question that requires careful attention and further mental arithmetic. Unfortunately for eager test takers, CSET questions tend to be more complex. That’s why it’s important to have anxiety under control on test day.
The good news is that test anxiety is something you have the ability to manage, and managing it effectively can be of great benefit. Below are three good strategies for dealing with CSET test anxiety.
Technique #1: Be prepared
It’s no secret that the more prepared you are, the more confident you’ll be. A good CSET test prep program—whether it’s a prep class, private tutor, or online prep program—should teach you the content and strategies you need to pass, and know that you’re truly ready for the test overall. It will boost your confidence to a great extent and help you. to alleviate test anxiety. But your CSET preparation doesn’t have to stop there. You should also prepare for the environment in which you will take the exam and the potential stressors you will encounter there.
A professional soccer team, for example, does not practice solely by performing drills. Typically, the team will also participate in scrimmages where they can practice playing in an environment that is more like what they will find in the actual game. This allows them to prepare for challenges such as managing the clock and reacting to difficult opponents. As part of your preparation for the CSET exam, you should do the same. When you take a CSET practice test, take it under conditions that closely replicate those you’ll face on the actual test. If you plan to take three subtests in a single session, practice taking all three subtests in a single session so that you are prepared for the effects that fatigue can have on your performance. Set a timer and take your CSET practice test in the same amount of time you’ll take on the actual test, so you can get used to working at a proper pace. If you plan to take the computer-based test, take your practice test on a computer so that you become familiar with the feeling of reading the questions on the screen rather than on paper. The more variables you can get used to in practice, the less you’ll be distracted or intimidated by those factors when faced with them in the game, and that means less anxiety. On test day, you’ll be able to say to yourself, “I don’t need to worry about this, I’ve done it before.”
Technique #2: Get rid of excess energy
Fear is part of our natural defense mechanism; it causes a surge of adrenaline that reads our body and mind to take protective action. We suddenly feel filled with the energy we need to run or fight off an attacker, and these reactions stem from ancient times, when our ancestors often faced real physical threats like being attacked by wild animals or a neighboring tribe. But the fear that one may feel when taking the CSET requires little or no physical response. So we’re left with sweaty palms, racing hearts, and jittery nerves that serve to do little more than distract us from the task at hand.
A great way to calm down and release some of this excess energy is to exercise. If you wake up nervous on CSET test day, start your morning by walking, jogging, or swimming. Work off some of that excess energy, and in the process, you may release some endorphins that will allow you to enter the testing facility not only feeling calmer, but also happier and more confident. However, don’t push yourself to the point of exhaustion; you want to save some of your energy for the test.
You can also practice other physical techniques to turn off your sympathetic nervous system (the part of your autonomic nervous system that is responsible for the “fight or flight response”). Such techniques may include breathing slowly and deeply from the bottom of your stomach or contracting and relaxing each of the major muscle groups until you feel the tension begin to dissipate.
Technique #3: Turn negative energy into positive energy
So you took a great CSET test prep program and learned everything you need to pass your particular test. She has also released some of her excess physical energy by using the techniques described above. And yet, as she gets closer to the test site, she still feels a little anxious. Congratulations, you are a normal human being.
A certain amount of anxiety is to be expected. Your body is releasing the energy it needs to prepare for a challenge. You may not be able to get rid of that energy completely, and in fact, you may not want to. A little extra energy may be exactly what you need to perform at your best. But don’t let that energy take the form of nervousness, fear, or doubt. Instead, let it take the form of emotion. Excited to take the CSET? Yes absolutely. You have put in many long, hard hours preparing for the CSET exam; It’s time to show what you know and show who’s boss in this test. As you drive to your testing location, sing along to your favorite song out loud. Mentally congratulate yourself on all the hard work you’ve put in and for having the guts to pursue a career that truly makes a difference.
And smile. You don’t really need a reason, but here’s one anyway: You’re about to pass the CSET.