The Pressure of Tests

The Pressure of Tests

There is always a sense of anxiety whenever the day of an examination or test approaches, no matter how prepared I am. Understandably, I get more nervous when writing tests based on my weaker subjects, but still find myself as nervous in my stronger subjects due to the fact that I feel obliged to pass. In some cases, this self inflicted pressure causes me to fail tests I may have prepared very well for.

I personally feel that examination/test pressure is created depending on how well one prepares for an examination. Good preparation involves perfect time management, an attribute which I struggle to perfect. I find myself procrastinating a lot, leaving me with piles of work to catch up on, making the whole preparation process more difficult and eventually building the pressure towards my test.

In my opinion, tests can be both positive and negative. Negative in the sense that, students who may be well knowledgeable in the related subject ,may fail a particular test, not because they were not prepared enough but because they weren't confident and ended up cracking under pressure. On the positive side, examination is an excellent way to indirectly compel students to revise. I end up learning and understanding a lot more things during my examination period. It’s almost as if my brain is forced to understand things I could not understand before, probably another positive thing pressure from test produces.However, the pressure of tests in my native country is probably three to four times as much because passing a module was based solely on tests and exams that were given every two to three weeks, making the pressure almost continuous.
Most students crammed up definitions and solutions just to pass a module with little understanding of the topic as a whole at the end of the day.

In all, I appreciate occasional tests because they help me figure out how well I am progressing, and if I need to improve in certain areas.  The pressure it brings can be reduced by good preparation, time management,frequent revision and planning.