Vi Ho

Professor Moore
HED 44
April 24, 2016
Project 3: Case Study Analysis
Katya, a college freshman with a 3.0 GPA, is a studious and hardworking student, but she
has a really low self-efficacy. The end of the semester is coming; she studies a lot for if she
doesnt do well on the chemistry exam, her scholarship will be cut. Shes worried because she
has this test-taking anxiety, which sometimes thinking about it only can cause her panic attack.
The chemistry exam is just around the corner, and Katya is desperate for help, but no one can
help her unless he or she understands what it means to have a low-efficacy and how to deal with
it. According to James Maddux and Evan Kleiman, psychology professors in George Mason
University, the term self-efficacy is the belief of your own about how you can perform the
tasks that needed to achieve something bigger. It refers to how strong you believe in your ability
and not the actual ability that you have in achieving the goals. Higher in self-efficacy is often
associated with positive outcomes, such as better grades, greater athletic performance, happier
romantic relationships, and a healthier lifestyle. (Maddux and Kleiman) As related to Katyas
scenario, we see that test-taking anxiety is what that causes her to have a low self-efficacy.
I used to have a somewhat alike anxiety as Katya has. I was also a freshman in college,
just like Katya. My grades were not really bad, but I knew that I could do so much better if I
knew how to reduce my anxiety back then. In almost every single exam Id taken, I felt like I
studied more than enough for the tests, but as walking into the classroom, just then I realized that
I couldnt remember much. I got through the first few questions easily, but as I kept looking
over the next ones, I started to panic because the answers looked similar, and I couldnt
remember details to figure out the right choice. I could narrow down to two options but couldnt

settle to one. Hearing the clock ticking and seeing some students left the classroom made me
panic even more. I tried to relax and re-read the questions, but the more I tried, the harder it got
for me to pick the answers.
Now that we all know about the scenario of test-taking anxiety and how it affects us in
our daily lives, lets talk about how to get rid of it, or at least reduce it, also to help Katya.
According to the articles about reducing test-taking anxiety, published on West Virginia
Universitys web page, somethings you should do before, on, and during test day are:
1. Before test day:
Study more: the reality about the anxiety students struggle are caused by not studying
enough. They might think that they are ready, but indeed they arent as ready as they

should be.
Practice positive thinking: people need some motivation and trust in themselves that they
can accomplish the think they want to accomplish. Instead of thinking about what you

will get if you fail the test, think about the things you will be promised if you pass it.
Sleep and eat well: not getting enough sleep and energy cause our body, especially our
brain, to not function properly, which cause us even more anxious. Also, not getting

enough sleep might result in negative thinking.

2. On the test day:
Dont study: study on the test day will cause you even more anxious for thinking that you
are not ready. You wont remember much for studying on the test day, so better study

hard beforehand.
Visualize success: just remind yourself that you had done everything possible to prepare

for the test so that you dont have to worry.

3. During the test:
Just think of the test as a game and play it. Anxiety is only a feeling that our brain creates
so we can control it!

Dont stay stuck on one question. Just spend enough time on one question and if you
cant recall it, just go to the next one, maybe the material on the rest of the test can help
you shake up your brain a bit, then you can remember those you forgot.

In conclusion, I think that test-taking anxiety, as related to self-efficacy can be controlled.

According to the book title COLLEGE OF THE OVERWHELMED: The Campus Mental Health
Crisis and What We Must Do About It, Richard Kadison states that statistics showing that
almost half of all students will become seriously depressed during their college career and may
engage repeatedly in binge drinking. One in 10 undergraduates, they say, will seriously consider
suicide. As you can see that not only you but there are tons of people out there are also facing
the same problem so dont worry and dont be affair to seek for help because you wont ever
know if someone could help you to get over these anxieties, unless you try.

Works Cited
Kadison, R., & DiGeronimo, T. F. (2005). College of the overwhelmed: The campus mental
health crisis and what we must do about it. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. (Retrieved
from PCC Shatford Library)
Maddux, J. E., & Kleiman, E. (n.d.). Self-Efficacy. Retrieved April 24, 2016, from
<http://nobaproject.com/modules/self-efficacy>
Reducing Your Test Anxiety is as Easy as 1-2-3 | wellwvu | West Virginia University. (n.d.).
Retrieved April 24, 2016, from
<https://well.wvu.edu/articles/reducing_your_test_anxiety_is_as_easy_as_1_2_3>