I hate taking tests; I’d even say I deeply hate them.  Whenever someone says “you need to take an exam” my brain just freezes up!  I get that familiar sinking feeling in my gut of pure test anxiety.  Since anxiety can stop us from following through with taking certification exams, like for our IBM-Apptio’s ACP, I reached out to some IBM-Apptio folks for help.  Here is their great feedback that may help each of you as well.

• Set schedules and deadlines for yourself - Many of us procrastinate stressful activities, coming up with any excuse to avoid them.  Instead give yourself a deadline for when you will take the ACP certification exam.  Then schedule regular, ongoing, time periods for studying until that date.  By giving yourself a schedule you’ll not only be proactive, but also, you’ll ingrain a sense of habit for studying.  Kristen Reynolds, Digital Customer Experience Manager, recommended this saying, “Build your knowledge over time and set a study schedule to avoid cramming at the last minute.”

• Breathe – Stress and anxiety can have physical repercussions so give yourself a moment to stop, slow down for a moment, and just breathe.  A technique Rebecca Wagner, Sr Instructional Designer, said she uses was “I usually go for at least a 10-15 minute walk before the exam, do a little breathing technique just before, and have access to plenty of water.

• Get some sleep – Tossing and turning while you’re stressing over an exam can make you feel groggy and unfocused.  Florence Matthews, Sr. Dir of Customer Experience, said that whenever she needs to deal with her own test anxiety, she ensures she gets plenty of sleep beforehand to really attack it while well rested.

• Don’t be afraid to talk to someone about your anxiety – Often keeping stress and anxiety bottled up makes it even worse.  Don’t be afraid to talk to your professional mentors, friends, or partners.  Even if it’s just them giving you a supportive listen it can often help.  Think of it like letting the air out of the balloon as you vent your anxiety. 

I hope this helps you prepare to take that Apptio ACP exam at https://education.apptio.com, or for any other certifications.  If you have other techniques we’d love to hear of them below… and we’d love to congratulate you if you used any of these to help pass your certifications!