DO YOU DREAD TAKING AN EXAM?
Have you failed an important exam because you were nervous, even though you were well prepared?
Did you have to force yourself to get ready for the test? Did you avoid studying? Did you worry excessively about how badly you expected to do?Is this test (like a licensing or Bar examination) so important that it makes you nervous? Would you also like some "insurance" by being trained to focus for peak performance on the exam?
OTHER PEOPLE SEEM TO PREPARE FOR AN EXAM WITHOUT A LOT OF WORRY OR FOOT-DRAGGING, AND THEY DON'T SEEM NERVOUS DURING THE TEST.
SO WHY ARE YOU SO ANXIOUS ABOUT TAKING THE EXAM?
You have become conditioned to "link" anxiety with taking the test. This can cause you to avoid studying for it, generating more anxiety and frustration. You don't know how to unlink the anxiety from thinking about the exam.
And you may not be trained to do your best during the examination.
YOU CAN OVERCOME THIS PROBLEM!
LARRY'S PROBLEM: IF HE FAILED THE BAR EXAM, HE WOULD LOSE A JOB OFFERMost people can become calmer and perform better on tests. One method Dr. Agigian uses, cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), has helped people "unlink" their anxiety from test-taking. The results usually are:
Other methods, which are variations on CBT techniques, can work just as well and take less time.
- You are much less anxious before the exam,
- You do less foot-dragging about studying, and
- You are more relaxed and better focused during the test.
Here are examples of how Dr. Agigian helped two test-takers: a person studying for a licensing exam and a student with a complicated problem.
THE PROBLEM:
Larry was about to take the most important test of his life: the Bar examination. Although well prepared, Larry was very nervous. He had been offered a job at a good law firm, but only if he passed the Bar. He wanted to calm down and do his best on the exam.
THE SOLUTION:
Larry saw Dr. Agigian, who used TFT, a rapid variation of a CBT technique, to lower Larry's anxiety. They also used TFT to help Larry prepare and perform at his best during the bar examination.
Although his nervousness had decreased dramatically, Larry requested a "tune-up" the day before the exam, "for insurance," as he put it. Dr. Agigian did the tune up, at no extra charge.
RESULTS:
Larry was focused, alert and doing his best at the exam, and he was not bothered by anxiety. He passed the Bar and was able to join the law firm.
JANE'S PROBLEM: ANXIETY AND DISGUST
THE PROBLEM:
Jane was about to do a dissection that would serve as a final exam for an anatomy course. Although she was normally a good student, Jane could not stop thinking about failing the test. Her skin felt clammy, and she was very tense as she studied. Jane was also disgusted by the smell and by the idea of cutting open a human corpse.
THE SOLUTION:
In one session, Dr. Agigian used TFT, which addressed Jane's test anxiety and her feelings of repulsion toward dissections and their odor. She also learned how to prime herself to do her best on the exam.
RESULTS:
Jane succeeded at focusing herself for peak performance in the dissection exam. During her preparation, she stopped thinking about failing the exam, she was much less tense, and her skin stopped being clammy when she studied. During the test Jane felt relaxed, confident and not bothered by the smell or procedures. She passed the exam with a good grade.
TAKE THE NEXT STEP
Contact Dr. Agigian for more information or to arrange for a free 30-minute consultation at (510) 653-7596.
He can also be reached by e-mail at agigian@earthlink.net