You have a lot riding on your police exam. You’re also doing the work you need to do to reach your goals. Unfortunately, though, simply knowing that you’re working hard won’t make your test anxiety go away. Thus, here are some stress-management tips from our long experience of helping students prepare for standardized tests.
Once you’ve set up a study schedule for yourself, treat it like a job. That is, imagine clocking yourself in and out of police exam studies according to that schedule. Do your best to stick to your schedule, and when you’re not “clocked in,” don’t let yourself stress out about your upcoming exam. That will help you release your stress about the test in between study sessions.
If you get tired, overwhelmed, or discouraged when studying, don’t respond by pushing yourself harder. Rather, step away and engage in a relaxing activity like going for a walk, watching a movie, or playing with your cat or dog. Then, when you’re ready, return to your studies with fresh eyes.
Each week, set manageable goals related to your police exam progress, and reward yourself when you’ve achieved them. Examples of small goals might be:
Poor health, fatigue, and isolation make it harder to cope with stress and anxiety. Get on a regular sleep schedule as much as possible during your studies, eat well, continue to exercise, and spend time with those you care about. Also, don’t fuel your studies with caffeine and sugar. Those substances may make you feel alert, but they can also damage focus.
Most importantly, keep telling yourself that you can do this. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that you’re not “allowed” to feel confident yet. That’s a self-punishing attitude that will only hurt you. Remember that confidence breeds success. Let yourself be confident about your abilities. You’re obviously ambitious and have a solid career goal in mind, so walk into your exam knowing that about yourself.
If you get discouraged about your goals, stop what you’re doing and make a list of everything you’re good at. List every specific skill that you are bringing to the police exam. Post that list in a place where you’ll see it every day, and add to it as you continue to study.
We at Kaplan recommend this because many people focus too heavily on their weaknesses while preparing for a standardized test. But if you only focus on your weaknesses, you aren’t seeing an objective picture. There are skills on the exam that you’re good at. Keep that in mind, and focus on building on those strengths.