AP Test anxiety and prep help desperately needed

[elfgivas]

you would think this was our first time, but no, this is dd #3.

 

she just did her first practice AP Bio exam.

her brain went on "dial a bedouin" mode (bill bryson reference)

 

so this delightful, bright, extremely hard working child, who is getting perfect or close to it on the online chapter tests, etc,

sobbed for hours after discovering she got 10 wrong on the multiple choice questions.

 

some of her essay answers were letter perfect; others were barely coherent.  

 

there are multiple pieces to this problem, but the one i need help with is techniques to help her not simply lose it.

 

for me, practice tests are just that: practice.  you see where your holes are, you study more in those areas, you re-take to see if you've improved.

 

but i really have no idea how to help someone who when we are reviewing the test, knows all but two of the answers she got wrong, and simply has no idea why she chose the other thing.  

 

or a child who looks at a diagram, and doesn't understand it.  its like she looks at it, and immediately panics, and so can't reason it thru.  however, if she has to explain it to her sister, she can do it beautifully.

 

help.

ann 

[Barbara H]

It may help to know that students can get A LOT of multiple choice questions wrong on APs and still get very good scores. APs are different from a lot of tests like that. When you normally take a test in a class your instructor knows exactly what material is included so you can typically make few mistakes and still get an A.  Because AP classes are not all taught the same and don't all cover exactly the same materials there is a little more wiggle room built in. I just mention this because sometimes students who are used to always being high A students get panicked when they start to miss multiple choice questions on APs. It is important to understand it is normal to miss more questions on an AP and you can still do very well.

 

Usually with anxiety tackling much smaller chunks and building up success can be be helpful. So, maybe just a question or two to start.

[elfgivas]

Thanks Barbara.  She is just a bundle of nerves, and quite convinced she will fail.  she really isn't going to imagine she won't until she hasn't.  

i will tell her what you said about the multiple choice.  hearing it from someone who isn't your mom will help a lot.  

[Luckymama]

This website helped calm my older dd's nerves. Seeing the "curves" in action really worked. http://appass.com/calculators/home

 

Of course, AP Bio has been redesigned, but this will still show that one can get a number of multiple choice problems incorrect (or not do well on a/a few free response question(s)).

[elfgivas]

i am hoping someone has some ideas of things she can try to do to calm herself during the exam so that she actually tests well.  

the thing is that she knows the material really well.

 

ann

[Trilliums]

Lots of timed practice tests in setting similar to the testing day to help her get over the anxiety.  :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

[Muttichen]

Practice, practice, practice, practice.  I know this is hard with bio since there aren't a lot of materials for the new test.  Find sample tests in guides like Barron's, etc.  Have her do as many as possible even if the tests themselves aren't that great.  You want her to get to the point that the test itself doesn't feel new and stressful.

[elfgivas]

this week, we are going to go over one essay question a day in addition to everything else, and then she will retake the practice test next weekend.  she seems to feel better knowing there is an approach.  apparently, when i said to her that we had spent so far learning biology, and would spend the next six weeks learning how to share her knowledge in test format, that helped.... a lot.  who knew?

 

thanks to all for the reassurance.... we're open to any new ideas, too.

ann