What Do You Tell
Yourself While Taking An Exam?
Let's look at some types of self-talk and some good
and bad examples... |
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| Type |
|
1. Worrying about your performance,
including how well others are doing compared with you. |
| Eecch! |
|
"He's not through yet -- good! She finished 20
minutes early. Damn! I hope I'm not the last one to finish." |
| Helpful |
|
"They finished early, I wonder... there's no
way I can know what's going on... forget them." |
| Type |
|
2. Ruminating too long and fruitlessly over
alternative answers or responses. |
| Eecch! |
|
"If I miss two more, it's all over... I just have
to know the rest. Why is this question taking me so long? I studied so hard. |
| Helpful |
|
Now don't look for tricks, just what does it say?
What's the basic question. Oh, I can obviously eliminate that alternative. Good. That's a
start." |
| Type |
|
3. Begin preoccupied with bodily reactions
associated with anxiety. |
| Eecch! |
|
"Now calm down and stop that shaking crazy
shaking, stop it! What's happening to me. it won't stop, what's happening to me!" |
| Helpful |
|
"My hands are shaking,... Okay. I'm tense,
stop a moment. Deep breath... calm... relax, that's better, it won't kill me. Good." |
| Type |
|
4. Ruminating about the possible
consequences of doing poorly on the test. |
| Eecch! |
|
"Oh Lord, I can't do this problem. I'll never
make it into grad school. I should be able to do this one, and now I'll blow grad school
because I can't remember this stuff." |
| Helpful |
|
"I don't remember how to do this! Hmm, Better
move on... I can get more points for my energy a few points ahead." |
| Type |
|
5. Thoughts and feelings of inadequacy --
this may include active self-criticism or self-condemnation, calling yourself
"stupid" etc. |
| Eecch! |
|
"Hell! This's two in a row I didn't get! Why
didn't I review that? God I'm so dumb. I'll never make it through this." |
| Helpful |
|
"I should know that... Okay, just let it go
now, no need to get uptight. Just take them one at a time." |
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| Now it's your turn. Over the next week monitor your
self-talk and see what unhelpful types you engage in. Record some sentences on the back of
this sheet, and more importantly, generate some helpful self-talk replacements! |
