<p>I deliterately referred to test anxiety as test whammy because anxiety sounds a little scary - a personal failing. Test whammy is a bit silly - something that can be overcome. </p>
<p>I like dadofsam's suggestions about the glasses and all because it is him controlling the test, not the test controlling him. My son also had difficulties with anxiety about 20 minutes into a math section. The problems would get harder, and he'd look at the clock and panic - and them the score would go to hell in a handbasket. Once he saw the pattern, he realised he needed to just continue working for points, not working for filling in every bubble. </p>
<p>mominsearch also brings up a good point with the structure of the test - the earlier math and writing questions are easier, the later ones can be tricky. Again, seeing the pattern in the test will give the student a better idea of how to approach it, and a better feeling of control.</p>
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it is him controlling the test, not the test controlling him.
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<p>Humans are in general smarter than tests, and many test-takers are probably as smart if not smarter than those who constructed the test. So, yes, get in control of the test, not the reverse. Thanks, Ohio_mom.</p>
<p>And if you feel a panic attack coming on in mid-test, stop, look around, and see how silly others look when they're panicked. Note the idiosyncrasies, the way they're seated, the attempts to erase a hole in the paper, whatever diverts you from becoming panicked too. Then get back to work. Humans are smarter than tests.</p>
<p>Thanks, Emeraldkity4. The website you mentioned is very helpful. My D is highly gifted, but has always had a difficult time remembering things, seeing things through to the end, getting bored quickly with assignments she didn’t feel “passionate” about, etc. She will be entering college in August and we have just recently realized that these tendencies may suggest that she has ADD!! She is just beginning to take meds for this—we’ll see how it goes. We never even thought about this possibility–always thought of ADD kids as being high-strung, high-energy, fidgety kids. Not always the case, especially with girls, apparently. Her HS gifted program was pretty poor, so no one else picked up on this either. We, her parents, just thought she was the “absent-minded professor” type and always would be, due to her giftedness. Maybe if this had been recognized at an earlier age, she would have had significantly less struggling in HS. She got into a fairly selective private college, but it certainly wasn’t due to her GPA!! I feel very guilty that we should have helped her sooner. She might have a rough start in college. Did you or anyone else have anything similar happen? What are some suggestions or things you have done to help your kid(s) who are both gifted and ADD?</p>
<p>This thread is five years old, so you may not get many responses. I think that there is a book called Twice Gifted–or something like that and it is about gifted but learning disabled kids. I don’t know whether ADD would be addressed or not. It might be worth a look.</p>