• Be sure your goals are your own. It's your life. Do what means most to you. Self-set goals are better motivators than those imposed by others. • Put goals in writing to increase your commitment. • Make your goals challenging but attainable. They should cause you to stretch and grow. • Goals should be as specific and measurable as possible. Don't say, "I want a better grade." Specify clearly what you want. • Every goal should have a target date for accomplishment. • Make sure your goals complement each other. Don't fall into the trap of setting major goals where the achievement of one will prevent the attainment of another. • Frequently revise and update your goals. As a growing person your needs will change over time, and this means goals will have to be modified, discarded and added from time to time.

• Manage your work/play time and deal with procrastination, distractions, and daydreaming. Learn and practice good time management. Be firm with family and friends. You can catch up with them later. • Organise material to be studied and reviewed, allowing yourself plenty of time to accomplish all the things you need to do before the exam. • Set up your study goals and develop a study plan which allows you to take one step at a time so as not to feel overwhelmed as well as time to review frequently. • Focus on the material you are studying by: a. generating questions from your textbooks, notes and assignments. b. focusing on key words, concepts and examples in your textbooks and lecture notes. c. making charts and outlines which organize the information in your notes and textbooks. d. use 3x5 cards for learning specific concepts or formulas. e. colour-code study material or develop acronyms to remember details. • Study in an environment that helps focus and concentration. • Assess outside pressures, e.g. success/failure consequences (grades, graduation), peer pressure, competitiveness, etc. • Review your past performance on tests to improve and learn from experience. Take a practice test under exam-like conditions to assess your strengths and where further work might be needed. This will also serve to de-sensitise you to exam stress. • Use relaxation techniques, for example, taking long deep breaths to relax the body and reduce stress. • A program of any aerobic exercise will release stress and excess energy and, as a result, reduce body tension. • Get sufficient sleep the night before the exam.

	• Think and feel success: Use whatever strategies you can to do so, e.g. visualization, rationalising, self-talk, practice, team work, journal writing, etc. • Study and know the material well enough so that you can recall it even if you are under stress. • Allow yourself plenty of time to get to the examination venue early so that you can feel more at ease before the exam. • Choose a comfortable seat for taking the test with good lighting and minimal distractions. • Avoid speaking with any fellow students who have not prepared, who express negativity, who are anxious and might cause you to doubt your knowledge or distract your preparation. • Eat something before you write your exam. Fresh fruits and vegetables are often recommended to reduce stress. Avoid foods that will affect your concentration and emotional state adversely, e.g. processed foods, artificial sweeteners, carbonated soft drinks, high sugar snacks, eggs, fried foods, junk and snack foods, pork, red meat, sugar, white flour products, foods containing preservatives or heavy spices. Take a small healthy snack to help take your mind off the exam you are about to do. If you know that you have a problem with exam anxiety, make sure your lecturer knows about this in advance. Explore if there are other options to evaluate your knowledge or performance within the subject matter.

• When you receive the test, look it over, read the questions carefully, and then organise your time efficiently. • Plan how you will spend your time. • If you find yourself tense and anxious, remember you are in control. Do something different, e.g. get a drink, sharpen a pencil, eat a snack, or ask a question. Change positions to help you relax, tense and relax muscles in several parts of your body. Take several deep, slow, breaths with your eyes closed. Pause: think about the next step and keep on task, step by step. Use self-talk to reassure yourself: You are doing your best. • Practice calming yourself by saying to yourself something like: "This test will not permanently affect my life. I'm going to feel calm and relaxed" or visualise a calm, soothing nature scene. • If you go blank, skip the question and go on. • If you're taking an essay test and you go blank on the whole test, pick a question and start writing. It may trigger the answer in your mind. • Don't rush through the test, but work at a comfortable pace. Don't panic when others start handing in their papers. Everyone works at their own pace.

Think about what worked, what did not, and why and how you can address this next time. Usually there is some real or perceived trigger. It may be past experiences of blanking out on tests, or being unable to retrieve answers to questions. It could also be a lack of preparation for an exam, which is a real reason to be worried about your performance. In this case, errors in time management, poor study habits, failure to properly organize material and cramming the night before the exam might increase anxiety. If you have adequately prepared for a test, your anxiety may result from negative thinking and worries. You might be focusing on past performances on exams, how friends and other classmates are doing, or the negative consequences you expect if you do poorly. Anxiety has physiological, behavioural, and psychological effects. These include feelings of apprehension, uneasiness, upset, and self-doubt as well as rapid heartbeat, muscle tension, queasiness, dry mouth, or perspiration. You may also experience an inability to act, make decisions, to express yourself, or to deal with everyday situations. As a result, you might have difficulty (a) reading and understanding questions, (b) organizing your thoughts, or (c) retrieving key words and concepts. You might also experience mental blocking, which means going blank on questions yet remembering the correct answers as soon as the exam is over.
	• Acknowledge it. Expect it- it's a reminder not to panic and to relax and cope steadily with the situation. • Focus on what you need to do- one step at a time. • Stop the negative self-talk! Think rationally. Ask yourself: How rational is each thought?  How much evidence do you have for such a belief?  Can you change your thought to something reasonable? (See Use Reinforcing Self-talk ) • Relax, you're in control. Take a slow, deep breath. (See Take Control) • When the fear comes, just pause. • Don't try to eliminate fear. Just keep it manageable. • Convince yourself to do it. • Remember, it's not the worst thing that can happen. • Do something that will prevent you from focusing on the fear. • Describe what is around you. That way you won't think about worrying.