By Tori Oroz and Veronica Torres/Staff Writers
It’s the night before her big math exam and junior Stephanie Beaty is pulling an all-nighter trying to study and cram, for some last-minute miracle.
When she gets to school, she is feeling confident about taking the exam, but once her teacher hands her the test, she forgets everything she’s studied and goes completely blank.
“I study all night but once the test is handed to me I feel like I don’t know anything,” Beaty said.
She is not alone.
Many students at Bishop Amat High School seem to know the material in class, and even study all night, but when it comes to tests they fail, or don’t perform as well as they expected.
In most classes, tests count as a big percentage of students’ grades.
“When you do homework there is no pressure, but when you take a test a big portion of your grade depends on it,” said sophomore Richard Alvarez.
On test day, students tend to let test stress get the best of them and don’t perform to their full potential.
“In class I pay attention and think that I will memorize everything, but sometimes I don’t,” said senior Matthew Gomez.
There are several reasons why people struggle on tests, said Mrs. Gabrielle Benson, who runs the Learning Resource Center here at Amat.
Some reasons include lack of preparation, nervousness, and test-taking anxiety.
According to Penn State University Learning Centers, there are additional factors that could cause this anxiety.
First of all, cramming for tests is not a good thing.
According to the center’s information packet, “The amount you learn won’t be worth the stress.”
In addition, Mrs. Benson said that she feels that students think they’re ready when they’re actually not.
“Some students convince themselves that they know more than they actually do,” said Mrs. Benson.
They worry too much about the outcome than on the actual taking of the exam.
According to the center, thinking negatively about the test can also be an issue.
So what can students do to better themselves before a test ?
“Study for an hour and do homework,” said Mrs. Benson.[PSGallery=458ru75cl]
