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Alyce Laraia

Professor Jizi

UWRT 1104

9 April 2017

How Can I Become A Better Test Taker?

Rana, Rizwan Akram, and Nasir Mahmood. "The Relationship between Test Anxiety and

Academic Achievement." SSRN. N.p., 03 Dec. 2013. Web. 28 Mar. 2017.

This study was conducted to find a link between test anxiety and academic

performance of students at the post graduate level. Data was collected using the Test

Anxiety Inventory (TAI). The research showed that there was a negative correlation

between achievement scores and test anxiety. The results showed that a cognitive factor

(worry) contributes more to test anxiety than affective factors (emotional). It was

concluded that test anxiety is a factor responsible for students low performance on tests.

After reading this study, I can tell that it will help me with my inquiry, which is

how to become a better test taker. Although this source does not talk about strategies to

improve test scores, it discusses how anxiety is a major factor on why people get low

grades on tests. I think looking into this will be helpful because discovering the root of

the problem will help to fix it. Looking into ways to relieve test anxiety will most likely

help improve exam scores.

I know this paper is credible because I found it on google scholar, which only

includes scholarly articles. Also, the article is from 2013, which means the information

included is fairly recent and more credible than older information. The two authors are

both from a university, which indicates their research is credible. Although this research
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was not conducted in the United States, I still believe it applies to my inquiry question

and does not matter what country the information is from.

Burdette, Martha, and Wood Smethurst. Becoming a Better Test Taker. N.p.: Ben Franklin

Academy, n.d. PDF.

This study discusses how to become a better test taker. It talks about how there are

four steps to improve test scores which are analyzing tests, preparing for tests, taking

tests, and managing test anxiety. The article then goes on to discuss these four steps in

greater detail. It also suggests students use something called the minimax strategy by

minimizing mistakes on tests and maximizing winners. Then the study talks about how

there are type 1, type 2, and type 3 mistakes when taking a test. Type 1 is knowing the

right answer, but accidently writing down the wrong answer on the answer sheet. Type 2

is when a student doesnt know the answer because of a lack of information. Type 3 is

due to guessing the wrong answer between two narrowed down answer choices.

I thought this was an interesting article because it discussed four steps students

can use to become a better test taker, which I think will be helpful for me and my inquiry.

I also learned about the different types of mistakes and how they can be avoided. I didnt

realize that these mistakes are so common and are mostly due to test anxiety. This article

will be helpful to my inquiry because it talks about test anxiety and also provides ways to

avoid it.

I know that this is a credible source because both authors are headmasters at a

private high school. Also, they both are doctors, with Dr. Burdette having a Ph.D. in
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humanities from Emory University and Dr. Smethurst having an education degree from

Harvard. Both of these universities are highly accredited.

"Test Anxiety." Anxiety and Depression Association of America, ADAA. Anxiety and Depression

Association of America, n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2017.

This article talks about the causes, symptoms, and tips for managing test anxiety.

Causes of test anxiety can include fear of failure, poor test history, or lack of prep. There

can be physical and emotional symptoms, like headaches or a feeling of disappointment.

This website provides many tips to manage anxiety, including practicing relaxation

techniques.

I think this article was helpful in describing the basics of test anxiety. This website

will be useful for my inquiry because I can use the information provided to talk about test

anxiety and some techniques to avoid it. The article has important background

information I can include in my inquiry. I thought it was interesting that test anxiety not

only has physical symptoms, but also has emotional and behavioral symptoms.

I know this is a credible source because the ADAA is a nonprofit organization that

is dedicated to helping solve anxiety and depression problems. The website provides

phone numbers and email addresses of people in the organization to contact if you have

any questions or concerns. Also, the website was updated in 2016, which means the

information is current and accurate.

"Test Anxiety." SpringerReference (n.d.): 4-7. Reducing Test Anxiety. Educational Testing

Service. Web. 9 Apr. 2017.

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This PDF is about how to reduce test anxiety. It talks about the signs of test

anxiety in both the head and the body. The article then goes on to talk about causes and

solutions to dealing with the anxiety. They talk about how making an organized study

schedule is important and helps calm the nerves. Another key topic was to counteract

negative thoughts with positive ones. A lot of students have a problem of thinking they

need to be a perfectionist, but it is important to get rid of these thoughts.

This article was helpful in identifying causes of test anxiety and providing

solutions. I think this article went into more detail about the solutions than other articles I

read. This will help with my inquiry with all of the solutions for test anxiety it provided.

Also, I really liked how it showed how you can find out if you have anxiety by listing the

signs in your head than the signs in the body.

I know this is a credible source because the Educational Testing Service

administers tests across the United States in both undergraduate and graduate settings.

They are involved in conducting the SAT for high school students and the GRE for

college students. The ETS is a reputable organization in the United States.

Steiner, Matt. "The Neuroscience of Test Anxiety." Compass Education Group. Compass

Education Group, 17 Mar. 2015. Web. 09 Apr. 2017.

This article discusses the neuroscience of test anxiety. It first discusses how the

brain contains two different structures which are subcortical and cortical. Subcortical

structures, like the limbic system, are responsible for our survival instincts. Cortical

structures, like the prefrontal cortex, are responsible for complex reasoning. The article

then says subcortical structures are easily activated and this occurs during test anxiety.
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When test anxiety occurs, the sympathetic nervous system is activated which intensifies

emotions and increases stress hormones. The website says test anxiety can be

counteracted by activating the parasympathetic nervous system, which slows functions in

the body. The article than provides ways to activate the PNS to calm test anxiety.

I think this article was fascinating and was very good at explaining how the body

is affected during episodes of test anxiety. I think this is helpful towards my inquiry

because it provides a different viewpoint on how to avoid test anxiety while also showing

the science behind it. Other articles I used talked about symptoms of test anxiety, but

didnt say how it worked like this article did.

I know this article is credible because the author has eight years of experience in

test preparation. Also, I noticed the author cited a book he referenced while writing this

article that was written by a neurologist. This means that the science behind the article

was accurate. This article was written in March of 2015, so it is current information.