Test stress
I'm stressing because I have an test that my lecturer is going to take with me soon, it's over zoom and I have to present something to them. I'm worried because the lecturer is quite intimidating and my anxiety shoots up massively.
How can I be more confident and less intimidated by them? I feel like I'll forget everything.
Thanks.
How can I be more confident and less intimidated by them? I feel like I'll forget everything.
Thanks.
Maybe try preparing some notes that will accompany your presentation. Practice reading the presentation out loud and don't rush. If you feel nervous, just take your time with the presentation and hopefully you'll do alright.
Hi young man/lady,
Let me build your confidence for you - I bet I will succeed in doing so - watch me!
Ok, first thing to realize in an exam [particularly an oral exam [like yours effectively] - called a viva in medicine, of which medical students have to go through many) is that there are ONLY TWO possible outcomes or progressions:-
EITHER:
The examiner thrashes you
OR:
You thrash the examiner.
So the tips I can give you in order to ensure the latter are:-
1. Be well prepared: if there is no time to master the whole syllabus, dw: master 3-4 topics [when I say "master", you should know the material back to front - check out books, internet, research papers - the works!]
2. Before you go to your computer and load your Zoom, pep yourself up [if poss get a friend to be the guy at the corner of the boxing ring! - metaphorically oc] - the start of the test will determine much of what happens later [see 3 below] - just keep cool [sorry I know: easier said than done, but YOU CAN DO IT!] at least initially because even if you get one or two Qs completely wrong, what matters is the OVERALL PERFORMANCE - don't panic if the guy/woman bullies you with one or two Qs - just take it in your stride, yeah? It is like a driving test - if you make one or two minor mistakes but keep calm and "catch up later" YOU WILL PASS, unless you make a fatal error e.g. hit a poor old lady!
3. CRUCIAL POINT: Altho the guy/woman is the examiner, YOU TAKE THE UPPER HAND: ONLY SAY THINGS to Qs that you know much more about BECAUSE THE EXAMINER WILL FOLLOW UP based on whatever answer you give - so bring up ONLY those topics where you are confident that YOU KNOW MORE THAN HIM?HER [cos no lecturer or human being knows everything [btw, even tho I am known as Sheldon, even I DO NOT know everything lol]] - SO THE DIRECTION THAT THE VIVA TAKES WILL BE DECIDED BY YOU, NOT HIM/HER, with me?
In summary, go out there with confidence based on preparation, AND YOU WILL KILL IT!
Best of luck!
M.
PS As I advise my students, physical prep is vital, too:-
a) Eat a banana or Galaxy Smooth Milk
half hr before the test - the brain uses almost exclusively glucose as a substrate.
b) Don't eat a heavy meal beforehand - you want blood flow to your brain NOT your intestines!
c) Don't drink too much [I mean anything [water, coke, juice, etc.] NOT just alcohol], cos if you need to rush to the loo halfway thru, the guy WILL NOT be too happy!
Let me build your confidence for you - I bet I will succeed in doing so - watch me!
Ok, first thing to realize in an exam [particularly an oral exam [like yours effectively] - called a viva in medicine, of which medical students have to go through many) is that there are ONLY TWO possible outcomes or progressions:-
EITHER:
The examiner thrashes you
OR:
You thrash the examiner.
So the tips I can give you in order to ensure the latter are:-
1. Be well prepared: if there is no time to master the whole syllabus, dw: master 3-4 topics [when I say "master", you should know the material back to front - check out books, internet, research papers - the works!]
2. Before you go to your computer and load your Zoom, pep yourself up [if poss get a friend to be the guy at the corner of the boxing ring! - metaphorically oc] - the start of the test will determine much of what happens later [see 3 below] - just keep cool [sorry I know: easier said than done, but YOU CAN DO IT!] at least initially because even if you get one or two Qs completely wrong, what matters is the OVERALL PERFORMANCE - don't panic if the guy/woman bullies you with one or two Qs - just take it in your stride, yeah? It is like a driving test - if you make one or two minor mistakes but keep calm and "catch up later" YOU WILL PASS, unless you make a fatal error e.g. hit a poor old lady!
3. CRUCIAL POINT: Altho the guy/woman is the examiner, YOU TAKE THE UPPER HAND: ONLY SAY THINGS to Qs that you know much more about BECAUSE THE EXAMINER WILL FOLLOW UP based on whatever answer you give - so bring up ONLY those topics where you are confident that YOU KNOW MORE THAN HIM?HER [cos no lecturer or human being knows everything [btw, even tho I am known as Sheldon, even I DO NOT know everything lol]] - SO THE DIRECTION THAT THE VIVA TAKES WILL BE DECIDED BY YOU, NOT HIM/HER, with me?
In summary, go out there with confidence based on preparation, AND YOU WILL KILL IT!
Best of luck!
M.
PS As I advise my students, physical prep is vital, too:-
a) Eat a banana or Galaxy Smooth Milk
half hr before the test - the brain uses almost exclusively glucose as a substrate.b) Don't eat a heavy meal beforehand - you want blood flow to your brain NOT your intestines!
c) Don't drink too much [I mean anything [water, coke, juice, etc.] NOT just alcohol], cos if you need to rush to the loo halfway thru, the guy WILL NOT be too happy!
It being over zoom will make it a lot easier! You can see your slides or any notes you make on the screen, so you don't have to worry about forgetting stuff, and you don't have to make eye contact with the examiner, which will make it a lot less intimidating - it will just feel like doing a presentation to the computer screen really. Believe me, it is a lot easier than doing a face to face presentation!
Good luck, and hope it goes well for you
Good luck, and hope it goes well for you
Original post by macpatgh-Sheldon
Hi young man/lady,
Let me build your confidence for you - I bet I will succeed in doing so - watch me!
Ok, first thing to realize in an exam [particularly an oral exam [like yours effectively] - called a viva in medicine, of which medical students have to go through many) is that there are ONLY TWO possible outcomes or progressions:-
EITHER:
The examiner thrashes you
OR:
You thrash the examiner.
So the tips I can give you in order to ensure the latter are:-
1. Be well prepared: if there is no time to master the whole syllabus, dw: master 3-4 topics [when I say "master", you should know the material back to front - check out books, internet, research papers - the works!]
2. Before you go to your computer and load your Zoom, pep yourself up [if poss get a friend to be the guy at the corner of the boxing ring! - metaphorically oc] - the start of the test will determine much of what happens later [see 3 below] - just keep cool [sorry I know: easier said than done, but YOU CAN DO IT!] at least initially because even if you get one or two Qs completely wrong, what matters is the OVERALL PERFORMANCE - don't panic if the guy/woman bullies you with one or two Qs - just take it in your stride, yeah? It is like a driving test - if you make one or two minor mistakes but keep calm and "catch up later" YOU WILL PASS, unless you make a fatal error e.g. hit a poor old lady!
3. CRUCIAL POINT: Altho the guy/woman is the examiner, YOU TAKE THE UPPER HAND: ONLY SAY THINGS to Qs that you know much more about BECAUSE THE EXAMINER WILL FOLLOW UP based on whatever answer you give - so bring up ONLY those topics where you are confident that YOU KNOW MORE THAN HIM?HER [cos no lecturer or human being knows everything [btw, even tho I am known as Sheldon, even I DO NOT know everything lol]] - SO THE DIRECTION THAT THE VIVA TAKES WILL BE DECIDED BY YOU, NOT HIM/HER, with me?
In summary, go out there with confidence based on preparation, AND YOU WILL KILL IT!
Best of luck!
M.
PS As I advise my students, physical prep is vital, too:-
a) Eat a banana or Galaxy Smooth Milk half hr before the test - the brain uses almost exclusively glucose as a substrate.
b) Don't eat a heavy meal beforehand - you want blood flow to your brain NOT your intestines!
c) Don't drink too much [I mean anything [water, coke, juice, etc.] NOT just alcohol], cos if you need to rush to the loo halfway thru, the guy WILL NOT be too happy!
Let me build your confidence for you - I bet I will succeed in doing so - watch me!
Ok, first thing to realize in an exam [particularly an oral exam [like yours effectively] - called a viva in medicine, of which medical students have to go through many) is that there are ONLY TWO possible outcomes or progressions:-
EITHER:
The examiner thrashes you
OR:
You thrash the examiner.
So the tips I can give you in order to ensure the latter are:-
1. Be well prepared: if there is no time to master the whole syllabus, dw: master 3-4 topics [when I say "master", you should know the material back to front - check out books, internet, research papers - the works!]
2. Before you go to your computer and load your Zoom, pep yourself up [if poss get a friend to be the guy at the corner of the boxing ring! - metaphorically oc] - the start of the test will determine much of what happens later [see 3 below] - just keep cool [sorry I know: easier said than done, but YOU CAN DO IT!] at least initially because even if you get one or two Qs completely wrong, what matters is the OVERALL PERFORMANCE - don't panic if the guy/woman bullies you with one or two Qs - just take it in your stride, yeah? It is like a driving test - if you make one or two minor mistakes but keep calm and "catch up later" YOU WILL PASS, unless you make a fatal error e.g. hit a poor old lady!
3. CRUCIAL POINT: Altho the guy/woman is the examiner, YOU TAKE THE UPPER HAND: ONLY SAY THINGS to Qs that you know much more about BECAUSE THE EXAMINER WILL FOLLOW UP based on whatever answer you give - so bring up ONLY those topics where you are confident that YOU KNOW MORE THAN HIM?HER [cos no lecturer or human being knows everything [btw, even tho I am known as Sheldon, even I DO NOT know everything lol]] - SO THE DIRECTION THAT THE VIVA TAKES WILL BE DECIDED BY YOU, NOT HIM/HER, with me?
In summary, go out there with confidence based on preparation, AND YOU WILL KILL IT!
Best of luck!
M.
PS As I advise my students, physical prep is vital, too:-
a) Eat a banana or Galaxy Smooth Milk
half hr before the test - the brain uses almost exclusively glucose as a substrate.b) Don't eat a heavy meal beforehand - you want blood flow to your brain NOT your intestines!
c) Don't drink too much [I mean anything [water, coke, juice, etc.] NOT just alcohol], cos if you need to rush to the loo halfway thru, the guy WILL NOT be too happy!
Thank you very much! I had a reflective time period to take it all in and this is helping also!
Original post by black tea
It being over zoom will make it a lot easier! You can see your slides or any notes you make on the screen, so you don't have to worry about forgetting stuff, and you don't have to make eye contact with the examiner, which will make it a lot less intimidating - it will just feel like doing a presentation to the computer screen really. Believe me, it is a lot easier than doing a face to face presentation!
Good luck, and hope it goes well for you
Good luck, and hope it goes well for you
Thank you! I'm starting to see it that way too!
