GRE Test Day Anxiety: How to overcome it and get a high score

Taking the GRE can be stressful, and that's perfectly normal. Feeling anxious before the exam is common, as the desire to perform well can add extra pressure. Test anxiety typically affects almost everyone when faced with important decisions, such as attending an interview, taking standardized tests, or sitting for board exams.

However, there's no need to worry. We are here to help you reduce anxiety and feel your best on test day. Here is a list of 15 proven test strategies to help you manage GRE test anxiety, reduce stress, and improve your scores.

15 GRE Test-Taking Strategies to Deal with Anxiety

1. Know everything about the exam and its pattern
2. Learn about Stress management
3. Practice more
4. Celebrate your small wins
5. Take various mock tests before the actual exam
6. Analyze the mistakes
7. Don’t expect yourself to be perfect
8. Motivate yourself
9. Practice Mindfulness
10. Avoid discussing with anyone before the test
11. Focus on your health
12. Avoid hearing songs or watching anything before the exam
13. Don’t spend too much time on a single question
14. Use the perks offered to you on the exam
15. Ensure you have a backup plan

1. Know everything about the exam and its pattern

It's crucial to understand every aspect of the test fully. Make sure to check the exam format well in advance, including the number of questions and the time allotted. This information is vital because without it, creating an effective study plan and practicing at home becomes challenging. The more familiar you are with GRE topics and question types, the more confident and relaxed you will feel.

2. Learn about Stress Management

Trying to manage your stress often leads to even more stress. It's crucial to know how to manage yourself when feeling stressed. Start by identifying the root cause of your stress and make a list of tasks you've been procrastinating on. Tackle these tasks one step at a time. By completing the tasks that initially caused your stress, you will slowly start overcoming it. Additionally, practice breathing exercises to calm both your mind and body.

3. Practice More

Challenge yourself with new and tricky questions that are difficult to solve. Instead of following the traditional method, take a new approach by studying random topics. This approach will train you to tackle random and challenging questions, boosting your confidence. Additionally, if you have time, try to create your own question papers from various sources and solve them for practice.

4. Celebrate your small wins

Reward yourself with your favourite chocolate or food, or enjoy watching your favourite TV show after achieving a small goal. Whether it’s taking a mock test and scoring a certain percentage, or completing a chapter, celebrating these milestones will motivate you to take on more challenges.

5. Take various mock tests before the actual exam

In order to be super confident during the exam, take several mock tests before the exam. This will help you evaluate your preparation level and adjust your study plan accordingly. Make sure these tests follow the same exam pattern and try to complete them within the allotted time. If you cannot find any mock test, you can create one by referring to your reading materials.

6. Analyse your mistakes

Analyze your mistakes and determine which ones you make most often. This will lessen your stress levels by preparing you mentally and helping you avoid repeating them during the exam. Examine your results on practice exams to see where you usually struggle and to identify your weak points and careless mistakes. Make a note of these concerns so you can remember to pay attention to them during the test.

7. Don’t expect yourself to be perfect

Avoid setting unrealistic goals and expectations. For example, aiming for a high score like 170 with limited preparation time can increase your stress levels. In such cases, it’s better to either lower your expectations or consider postponing your exam date to reduce the pressure.

Also, don't expect to solve every difficult question on the exam, especially if it’s something you haven’t encountered before. Instead, focus on the problems you’re already familiar with to make the most efficient use of your time during the test.

8. Motivate Yourself

It’s crucial to stay motivated during GRE preparation to keep negative thoughts at bay. Often, we doubt our ability, worry about not being fully prepared, which can heighten anxiety. Keeping a positive mindset helps counter these concerns. Remind yourself some of the motivational quotes when you lose your focus. Some of the motivational quotes that can help you are

• Success is not final; failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.
• Each mistake is an opportunity to learn
• The harder you work for something, the greater you'll feel when you achieve it.
• If I get this question wrong, it is only one out of many
• Change your perspective from “I’m not good at math” to “I’m improving at math”.

9. Practice Mindfulness

Instead of discussing the importance of practicing mindfulness, let's look at the actual study that shows how practicing mindfulness helped a group of people achieve higher GRE scores.

A 2013 study by researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara, found that practicing focused-attention meditation for just two weeks improved memory, focus, and overall cognitive function in undergraduate students.

To test this, researchers randomly assigned 48 undergrads to take a two-week course in either mindfulness or nutrition. The students' short-term memory was tested a week before and after the courses. They also completed the verbal reasoning section of the GRE to assess their verbal abilities. After the two weeks, students in the mindfulness course showed much greater improvement on the GRE tests and working memory tasks compared to those in the nutrition course. Additionally, their minds wandered less during these tasks, which may explain their better performance. Remarkably, this improvement was equivalent to a 16 percentile point increase in GRE scores. 

10.  Avoid discussing with anyone before the test

Always make sure to go to the exam hall on time. Do not reach there beforehand and discuss your test preparation, or do not inquire how others have prepared for the test. In fact, these discussions can make you more tense. To avoid this, plan to arrive just on time to prevent any pre-test conversations. Also, avoid any last-minute studying. Just have a copy to revise what you have studied so far. Remember, by now, you've already learned everything you need to know for the test.

11.  Focus on your health

Nothing will go right if you neglect your health. Make sure you don't skip meals, especially before the exam. Make sure to get 7-8 hours of sleep every day. It's crucial to get at least eight to nine hours of sleep starting two nights before your exam. Eating low-fat proteins (like egg whites, milk, broiled chicken, or fish) and some fresh fruits an hour or two before the exam will help keep your mind alert. Avoid fatty foods that make you drowsy and caffeine or sugary drinks that can increase anxiety.

12.  Avoid hearing songs or watching anything before the exam

Many of us listen to music before exams to reduce stress, but this can cause frustration during the test if the songs disrupt our concentration. Psychologically, people often remember music and lyrics more easily than the information they've learned. Therefore, avoid listening to music or watching anything before heading to the exam center. Keep your mind clear to prevent unnecessary thoughts and distractions during the exam.

13.  Don’t spend too much time on a single question

Spending too much time on one GRE question can lead to anxiety, especially as time runs out and many questions are left behind. Instead, skip the harder questions and mark them for later review. Once you've answered the easier questions in a section, you can return to the tougher ones with increased confidence and less anxiety. When working on a question, focus all your energy on solving it without worrying about upcoming or previous questions. Concentrate on the present.

14.  Use the perks offered to you on the exam

Take advantage of the tools provided during the exam, such as scratch paper and calculators. Use the scratch paper to solve problems more easily, helping you understand the questions better and avoid misinterpretation. The calculator can save you time and reduce errors by avoiding manual calculations. Learn to use the calculator during your exam preparation to maximize its benefits and ensure you're comfortable with it on test day.

15.  Ensure you have a backup plan

Having a backup plan can help reduce nervousness if things don’t go as expected. For the GRE, if you're taking the test in person, schedule it early enough to allow for a retake if needed, whether you're unsatisfied with your results or encounter any issues.

If you experience severe test anxiety, consider taking the GRE at home, where you can choose the date and time that suit you best. This option allows you to take the test in a comfortable environment, which can help you focus and perform better.

What are the symptoms of GRE Test Anxiety?

We've discussed how to overcome test anxiety, but how can you tell if you're experiencing it? Here are some common symptoms of GRE test anxiety.

• Your heart beats faster
• You feel tensed
• You struggle to focus on your thoughts
• You sweat a lot
• You suffer from cramps
• You read the question multiple times but still can't figure out what they are asking
• Your mind feels blank
• You feel dizzy
• You tend to overthink a lot
• Getting worried about your preparation and feeling low
• If you have experienced any of the above symptoms during GRE test preparation or while taking the exam, you were likely experiencing test anxiety.

FAQ

1.  How to stay calm during GRE?

Some of the strategies to stay calm during GRE test anxiety are

• Know everything about the exam and its pattern
• Learn about Stress management
• Practice more
• Celebrate your small wins
• Take various mock tests before the actual exam
• Analyse the mistakes
• Don’t expect yourself to be perfect
• Motivate yourself
• Practice Mindfulness
• Avoid discussing with anyone before the test
• Focus on your health
• Avoid hearing songs or watching anything before the exam
• Don’t spend too much time on a single question
• Use the perks offered to you on the exam
• Ensure you have a backup plan

2. How to deal with severe test anxiety?

Use relaxation techniques to help you stay calm and relaxed before, during, and after the test. These include closing your eyes and visualizing a happy ending, tensing and then relaxing your muscles one at a time, and deep breathing. Make sure you regularly use these techniques so that on test day, they come naturally to you

3. Is GRE tough for Indian Students?

For Indian students, the level of difficulty of the GRE exam is determined upon their level of preparation. It will be difficult for you if you are taking the exam for the first time. The Graduate Record Examination comprises logically based questions that evaluate students' critical thinking abilities.

4. What are four symptoms of test anxiety?

Physical symptoms can include shaking, fainting, panic attacks, nausea, vomiting, and an elevated heart rate in addition to sweating and dry mouth. Negative self-talk and cognitive distortions that cause students to avoid studying are examples of cognitive and behavioral symptoms.

5. Can test anxiety make you fail?

Anxiety increases with the amount of time you spend thinking about the worst-case scenario. You feel worse about yourself and may perform worse on the test as a result.