Are you ready pass your examinations this school year? Or do you freeze up when taking tests?

Here are five great tips that will help you achieve higher test scores and reduce the stress associated with taking your tests at the same time. As a hypnotherapist, I have worked with thousands of students in, junior high school, high school, and college. I find these tips help all students overcome anxiety caused by test taking, and improve memory and recall. The results are better examination scores.

1. Get a good night sleep before the test. Do not stay up all night. Your brain works so much better after a good night's sleep. You will carry a relaxed feeling into the testing classroom or lecture hall.

2. Breathe deeply. When you find yourself in the classroom, begin breathing deeply and deliberately. Think to yourself, the test will be easy, and you feel confident in the grade you will attain after taking the test.

When the teacher passes out your test and it is in your hand, take three slow deep breathes. Each time you inhale; feel energy entering your body. Feel the energy stimulate your brain. Each time you exhale, picture, and feel all of the tension leaving your lungs.

3. Skip the difficult questions. As you begin taking the test, answer all the questions, you are confident in, first. Each time you pass over a hard question, take slow deep breaths again, allowing your body to relax and your brain to focus on the easy questions.

You will find you will soon have an urge to go back to the difficult question, answering it. Go ahead and do so at this time.

4. Remember, you are smarter than you think. In spite of what your parents said or what your teachers think, you are much smarter than you think. As you relax your body and focus your brain, you will begin to feel more in control of your test results. Everything you have ever read, heard, touched, tasted or smelled is always stored in your brain. As you relax, you will find it easier to remember information.

5. Never, cheat on a test. By cheating on a test, not only do you stand a chance of expulsion from school, but also you are sending a message to your brain that you are not smart enough to take a test on your own. What happens next is you lose self-confidence, for not only the test you are taking currently, but also all tests and all subjects. The loss in self-confidence is much more damaging and will follow you around longer than expulsion from school.

The lack of self-confidence will find affect personal relationships, jobs, and earning power over a lifetime. Relax and trust yourself to remember the information you need without cheating on tests.

Summary

Remember to relax when taking tests. Relaxation triggers the brain to remember information easier and recall it when taking tests. Practice the five steps and watch your test scores rise.

Wayne F. Perkins is an educational hypnotherapist and author of the "Hypnosis for Better Test Scores" Audio CD. Wayne presents school assembly programs and consults with educators and students on how to improve test scores. Hypnotism Education Website: http://www.wayneperkins.net/