"Four steps to achievement: Plan purposefully. Prepare prayerfully.
Proceed positively.  Pursue persistently."
-- William A. Ward

studies show that you should be a bit anxious before and during tests

because it helps you perform better.  So, a little anxiety is a good thing.  What

isn’t good is when the anxiety gets so bad that it gives you a sick stomach

and makes you cry!  This level of anxiety can interfere with your performance.

          The only students who don’t have even a little test anxiety are the ones

who know they’re going to fail and don’t care.  Heck, even I have had test

anxiety!  I’m sure you can imagine how many math tests I’ve had to take in my

lifetime.  That kind of torture just shouldn’t be allowed!  I’ve been through the

gambit of anxieties… the sleepless night, the upset stomach, the headache,

the stiff neck, the tears…  It wasn’t pretty stuff. 

          But, I learned a very important lesson one day.  I had three upper division

math classes one semester (actually, it was like that most semesters), so I had

three math finals in one week to look forward to and all were on very different

subjects.  Of course, I had studied well for all of them, but by the end of the

second one, I was fried!  My brain was cooked.  I was so completely over the

whole thing.  While I was leaving campus after final exam #2, I ran into the

professor who was giving final exam #3 the next day.  He smiled and asked

me if I was ready for his final.  I looked at him and said, “Right now, I’m so tired

that I don’t even care.” 

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