Thomas Greene
Winchester/Clark County Literacy
Council, Inc.
Test Administration
|
As long as there have
been people, their skills have been evaluated in one form or another, whether
it’s young African boys becoming men, Native American boys becoming warriors,
or test questions on a piece of paper.
Many will pass that test while others will fail, or won’t do as well
as they could have. This is due in some part to test anxieties. I’ve been in
education all my life, first as a student, and now as an educator and test
administrator. Learning can be hard, and I always hated the homework part of
it but never minded testing. Through
being around it all my life, I’ve observed myself and other people testing.
What I’ve noticed is that some people really do mind testing. They are terrified no matter how much
they’ve studied. Some people have violent shakes, such as in the case of my
friend, to the point of not being able to hold a pencil. I saw a girl go into
violent sweats, to the point where she started to pass out. I’ve seen some people laughing and giggling
to the point where they can’t stop, and others laughing to the point of
starting to choke. These are only some of the effects of test anxieties. Some are not as stressful as others, but
they can hinder a tester in one way or another. The point: test anxiety can steal a
person’s confidence and, therefore, alter his or her goals.
The key is to relax,
or as the young folks say, “Chill-lax,” even though I know this is easier
said than done. I encourage my testers
to take their minds off of testing the night before or the day of the testing,
to go to that special place in their mind, or find something that makes them
happy, such as their kids or the vacation they’ve planned. Even watching a show with absolutely no
academic value, or planting flowers, taking walks, or trips in your car can
help. It doesn’t matter what one does to make them relax. Just relax.
Relax, relax, relax! That is the key. Now . . . I may not
have all the answers, and my approach changes with each student—one approach
may be more effective with some than others.
Still, I always consider the stress factor and how it can make or
break my testers. Unfortunately, I
have no magic wand or crystal ball. If
I did, no student would be left behind.
Not one of them would have to face the disappointment of not passing
their GED test, or any other test in their lives. Instead, they would be confident and
prepared, and they would always pass. Good luck to you all, Tom
Phone:
859-744-1975 Fax:
859-744-1424 Mary
Wells © 2007 Last updated 25 September 2009 |