The Psychology of Test Taking
Passing tests is a malleable skill
I used to be terrible at taking tests.
In both my formal and professional education, when it comes time to take tests I consistently fall in the 70–80% range. But nowadays, the only reason I take tests are to achieve certifications that make me more valuable and marketable.
Ultimately, achieving the certification is all that matters because nobody will ask you what your passing score was. Nobody cares about that, they just want to know if you are capable of doing a job they are considering paying you for.
What matters is that you are able to consistently pass exams to become a certified professional. At this point you continue doing the work to become a skilled professional.
Taking an exam alters the chemical composition of your brain
Like it or not, your brain changes as you sit for an exam.
Your brain will release a chemical called dopamine as you anticipate the reward of doing well. It will also release a chemical related to stress called cortisol, when you have inevitable random thoughts of failing your exam and the associated consequences.
Depending on the balance of these chemicals, your outlook on passing will shift to either more optimistic (dopamine) or pessimistic (cortisol).
As humans, it is natural to think we can’t really control things that we can’t see. But in this case you certainly can tip the balance of which chemical influences your brain the most.
I assume that by reading this article you want to pass tests and not fail them. So below I have listed a few (safe) methods you can try implementing to control your dopamine/cortisol levels:
Increasing Dopamine:
- Exercise — This is the magic pill everyone wants. Unfortunately it costs time, effort, and energy, so not everybody wants to pay the price. However, multiple studies over many years continue to show that exercise has a tremendous amount of positive benefits on your mind and body. One of these particular benefits is a surge in dopamine.
- Nutrition — Certain foods contain the precursors required to create dopamine. Such foods include bananas, avocados, almonds, cheese, and chocolate. It is important to note that while these foods are wholesome and will improve your brain health, you should still strive for a well-balanced diet and be mindful of your total calorie intake. Obesity does not increase brain power.
- Avoid overindulgence — Some things that give you a dopamine hit can start to have diminishing returns, such as caffeine and other drug use. Any external stimulant or substance should be consumed in moderation so you do not have adverse effects. Additionally, you don’t want to start building up a tolerance and require greater amounts.
Controlling Cortisol (and stress):
- Exercise — Shocker, this one is here as well. Did I mention how you don’t have to look hard to find studies showing it helps your body AND mind? Exercise can promote better sleep which allows your body to heal and reduce stress, amongst other things.
- Breathe — Doing some sort of intentional breath work (even for a minute or two) will start to activate your parasympathetic nervous system. This is your “rest and digest” system that will work against your sympathetic (fight or flight) system that is keeping cortisol elevated.
- Sleep — Create a solid sleepy time routine to give your body time to rest and repair overnight. Most people take sleep for granted (or think it is a waste of time), but it is one of the easiest things to master for longevity and better health.
Everyone has been studying the wrong way
I used to think that studying 24/7 a week or two before a test was the way to go.
I would sit over a book/screen and just gaze at information, convincing myself that by just reading it I am guaranteed to remember it. Or maybe I would just take “notes” and highlight stuff.
After quite a few years of experience, this is in fact not the way to go.
The problem is that these strategies don’t translate to taking a test very well. But they are easy to do, so people do them in an attempt to be “busy” while studying.
When you sit for an exam, it is you and the exam. No google, no notes, no accompanying music, no nothing. So how can we simulate this to reduce test anxiety when test day arrives?
What has helped me tremendously, and many other memory experts, is utilizing active recall.
In a nutshell, active recall is the practice of taking information out of your brain instead of cramming information into your brain.
When you think about why this is beneficial, it is very straightforward. When you are taking a test, you read a question, and you need to pull the correct answer out of your head.
So by training yourself to pull information out of your head you become better at it as a skill. Over time as you pull out more correct answers, it will increase your confidence and reduce test anxiety.
Memory and concentration are crucial cognitive skills
When taking an exam, I shouldn’t have to explain why memory and concentration are important skills to have.
Most people think traits like these are predetermined by genetics. If that were the case, how can someone like Jim Kwik be labelled as having a “brain disorder” early in life, and grow up to be an expert on memory training?
Improving your memory is relatively simple, but as with exercise it takes consistent effort over a period of time to reap the rewards. Here are some simple but effective exercises for improving memory/concentration that you can try.
When you fail, the sky won’t fall
We tend to put all sorts of pressure and expectations on ourselves to do well. Or if it is not you, it could be your friends/family/job. Pressure can come from anywhere.
It is important to remember that life is a marathon not a sprint. By understanding that you can simply do better next time, you can take your mind out of the future and keep it present.
Failure is part of life and it is going to happen. Sometimes it stings more than others. As long as you learn from your mistakes you will end up where you need to be.
What do you do the day before your test?
The answer is simple: chill.
Don’t do anything related to studying, instead indulge in your hobbies and enjoy your time.
If you are “reviewing” the day before I guarantee you will come across something you don’t know or remember. This contributes to anxiety and makes you want to cram even more to try and take it all in.
If you don’t know something the day before the test, you won’t know it on the day of your test.
So give your body and mind a chance to unwind so you walk into your test relaxed, primed, and ready to go.
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