Accentuate The Positive, Eliminate The Negative

Positive self-talk is liberating and invigorating. It lays the psychological groundwork for success.

Conversely, negative self-talk is incredibly debilitating. There's no way you can perform up to snuff, or better, if you're sending yourself messages of failure in advance.

The Situation make you stressed

And you know what's worst? What's worst are the little jokes we make at our own expense:

• Me? Break into the 90th percentile? Are you kidding? [chuckle]
• I go to pieces during Reading Comprehension, I'm such a dope. [embarrassed laugh]

Jokes at your expense are destructive because they contribute to destroying your confidence. The motivation behind them is to inoculate the ego against future failure. ("If I laugh about it now, then falling short won't hurt as much later on.") Trouble is, the jokes become a self-fulfilling prophecy, and bring about a letdown.

Here's the bottom line: The little engine that says "I think I can, I think I can" may or may not make it to the top of the hill. But the engine that says "I know I can't"? It never will. Bet on it!

Remove all negative thoughts from your consciousness. See to it that every day you send yourself several positive, encouraging, hopeful messages.

See the glass as half-full. Keep telling yourself "I choose to take this test (not 'I must'), and I will do well.