Creative Visualization

If you can imagine something happening, you can help to make it happen."

A major reason why many examines fall short of their scoring goals is that they simply can't see themselves succeeding on the exam. As the test rolls around, success seems further away than ever. Is it any wonder that these folks feel all at sea during the exam itself? And that their scores reflect their pessimism?

Close your eyes and start remembering a situation in which you did well on a test.

If you can't come up with one, pick a situation in which you did some really good academic work that you were really proud of, or some other kind of genuine accomplishment. Not a fiction, mind you—it's got to be from real life. Make it as detailed as possible. Think about the sights, the sounds, the smells, even the tastes, that you can associate with this experience of academic success.

Don't make comparisons between them. Just start imagining taking your exam with that same feeling of relaxed control. Literally "see" yourself attacking the questions with confidence, moving steadily forward, not getting bogged down on tough problems and making sure you get to all of the manageable ones. Whatever you know to be the best test-taking techniques, see yourself using them.

Creative visualization

Creative visualization is a great way to (almost) hypnotize yourself into bringing the job of test-taking down to earth, and believing in your own abilities. Put yourself through this exercise whenever the prospect of the exam starts to bum you out. Keep making the vision of your succeeding during the exam more vivid each time.