I am preparing to mentor a coworker in my present occupational field as he tries for the fourth time to pass a certification test.  He has worked in our field for 10+ years, and he knows his stuff, but he absolutely comes unglued when it comes time for any test.  I have seen him fret and stew for five minutes over one question instead of moving on and coming back when he’s made it through the test.  He hyperventilates, sweats, and shows all sorts of other signs of anxiety.  What can I do to help him diminish his anxiety?

Dear Sam,

It is certainly frustrating to be knowledgeable in something and be unable to demonstrate it because of the anxious barrier.  There are a number of things your colleague can do and you can certainly help in the process:

1. Overlearning.  To study above and beyond the point of initial mastery is highly recommendable to those with test anxiety.  Study the content over and over again leads to automaticity of response.  Your colleague would not forget his home address even in a situation of high arousal because he has learned it too well. 
2. Rehearsal.  The more he takes tests under similar circumstances (in a classroom) or computer terminal, the less tension he will experience.
3. Relaxation.  If he approaches the beginning of a practice test in a state of relaxation and maintains it using breathing and self-instruction messages, he may get involved in the task and forget his anxiety.
4. Self-help group.  Some with this problem are helped tremendously by temporarily joining a group of persons with the same problem.  Doctors’ and psychologists’ offices frequently post advertisements to this effect or have names of people that are looking for others to meet and gain insight from each other. 
5. Prayer.  If your friend is a man of faith, he will benefit from prayer in order to achieve a more relaxing state and receive the support and power that come from God.  Doing this fervently in preparation for the exam and at intervals during the actual assessment has a profound effect on the believer. 

Lastly, it could be that your friend suffers from a severe case of anxiety and then he needs to see a psychologist.  Psychologists use cognitive-behavioral techniques to deal with fears and phobias that are reported to be effective in about 80% of the cases treated.  Also, professional associations and examining boards usually have policies to make accommodations (typically a more relaxing environment to write the text or additional time to take it) to those with anxiety who have been properly diagnosed.

I hope you will be able to use some of the above advice and that your colleague may soon overcome this barrier.

Dear Counselor is a service of Julian Melgosa, Linda Ivy and Austin Archer of the Walla Walla University School of Education and Psychology.

 

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