All right, here it is. TOEFL test day is coming up, and you're probably really nervous which is
totally understandable because this test is pretty important, but also you want to try to
figure out a way to control these nerves. It's really hurting your focus, hurting you maybe
your sleep, there's a lot of negative effects of being nervous. So, what we're going to do today is
I'm going to show you five ways to reduce your stress to help you feel more comfortable and
confident when you take the test. This is for students who haven't prepared at all or also
for students who have prepared and are ready and are still feeling a little bit nervous. So,
let's do it together. My name is Josh MacPherson, I'm the head instructor of TST Prep, an online
TOEFL school where our mission is simple, to help you get the TOEFL score you need as quickly and
easily as possible. And today let's try to reduce that stress and get you ready to take the test.
So, the first thing I want you to remember is that can you make anxiety disappear? No, you will always be
a bit nervous, it's just part of being human and doing something important and new. But I'm
going to show you five ways to reduce that to help you manage it, to help you calm down, okay.
So, let's talk about them right now. The first tip is for you to prepare for the test. Now, if you're
watching this and you haven't prepared for the test, you're probably thinking, "Okay, these tips
are not gonna help me. I haven't prepared, I have the test tomorrow." Don't worry. So, I'm gonna put
this up here right now. The first two tips are not for procrastinators, not for people who haven't
prepared, but even if your test is tomorrow, stick around, the last three tips will still help, so even
if you haven't prepared that much, the last couple tips will still help you. The first day is always
the worst. So the reason why I say preparation is so important is I want you to think about your
first day at work. I remember my first day working at a pizzeria when I was in college. I didn't know
the process for delivering food, I didn't know how to cook a pizza, I didn't know how to you know work
in the kitchen and make sandwiches. Of course, I knew some of these things at home, but at a new
job, a new place, they have a process, and I didn't know any of that stuff, so I was really nervous.
But after a couple weeks, after a couple months, I just walked into work really casually, comfortably
because I was prepared, because I knew how to do the job and I knew what to expect. It's the same
for you. The more you prepare, the better you feel on test day. All right, let's get into the second
tip which is to prepare for the test conditions. So, the test conditions. The room that you're going
to be in it's going to be noisy, there's going to be a lot of people, probably about 10 to 20
people. In the speaking section, they'll be speaking out loud, that's why it's noisy. The other sections
won't be so noisy, but it's for the speaking it will be. So, it's going to be hard. You want to
get used to those conditions. There's a phrase, We fall to our highest level of preparation. Intensify
your studies to prepare for conditions you will encounter on test day. So, basically, at home try
to practice speaking with the TV or go to a cafe or some other place that's busy, that's noisy, and
practice taking the test. If you try to practice in a quiet comfortable place all the time, you won't
be prepared for the test conditions which are not so quiet and comfortable a lot of the time. So, you
want to try to prepare for the worst, you know, practice speaking like you didn't understand
anything from the passages. You know, do things that are more difficult at home so you're prepared for
anything that happens on test day. And again, the more you prepare, the better you will feel, the
less nervous you'll feel. All right, these next tips are for the procrastinators and for everybody. Tip
number three is to bring a picture of the people you love, okay. Now, this is the thing that I do most
often it's remember the people who you care about most. Your relationships are much more important
and meaningful than a test score. Your family, your friends, your colleagues, these are the people that
matter the most, and so what I do is that when I have to give a presentation or do something
that's really scary, I usually have a picture on my phone, I have a lot of pictures on my phone, of
course, of my family, and I remember that no matter what happens, they are the most important
people to me, that no matter what I do how I perform or how I score, it these people are who
is important and who are important in my life. So, remember that the test score is important,
a lot of things depend on it for you, but remember that what's really important are the
people in your life, okay. So that's something that I use to try to help me relax and help me focus
on the test. So, I'll still be nervous and I still have to do something that's scary, but I had these
relationships and those are the things that are important to me. The fourth tip that I give here
is when you're nervous, you're excited. Okay, so, basically you want to try to turn this nervous
energy to excitement, you're doing something important, that's why you're nervous. You're
nervous because it's new, you don't know what to expect, and it's important. You might have to
get a score to go to a school or to get a job, that's really exciting, you know, you should be
excited about this. So, trying to make a mental switch in your mind from like, "Oh, I'm so nervous.
I don't know if I'm gonna get my score," to like "I'm really excited. I don't know if I'm gonna get my
score." I know that sounds a little silly, but it is true that you are excited. Okay, so try to tap
into that excitement, that energy, okay, try to get that energy to help you speak better and speak
with more confidence. When you're nervous and kind of down like this and shy, it's not gonna help you
perform better on the test, for all the sections. When you're like, "Oh, I don't know, I don't know if
I'm gonna do good," it's much better if you like "I don't know if I'm gonna do good, but let's see
how it goes." I know it sounds silly, but it really does help to try to remember that you're doing
something important and that's exciting and it's for your future. Okay, so try to remember
that when you're taking the test. Last tip here is to focus on the moment. I'm going to give a little
Chinese proverb here by the ancient philosopher, I don't know the Chinese pronunciation, but the
English pronunciation is Lao Tzu, is "If you're depressed you're living in the past. If you're
anxious you're living in the future. If you are at peace you are living in the present." Focus on the
moment when you're taking the test. When you're in the reading section, try not to think, "What about
the speaking? I don't know if I'm going to do well." Try not to think about the past. when you're doing
the reading, "Oh, I should have studied more." Focus on the moment right here, right now. This is
what you're in control of. You are in control of how you perform in the moment. You have no control
over the past, it's over. You have no control over the future, you don't know what's gonna happen. Okay,
so try to focus on the present moment to help you perform better with whatever you're doing right
now. Okay, I hope you found those things helpful. So, here's a protip. Do not do anything new a few days
before the test. The TOEFL is not the type of test you cram for. So, this is not like a history test
where you have to remember a bunch of facts. This is an English proficiency test. Before the test,
a few days, basically do the same test you've already done, the same practice you've already
done. This will help you remember the information that you've already learned and help build your
confidence because you'll probably do pretty well on these tests. If you do something new, a new test,
you might not do well. And then, since you don't do well, it'll hurt your confidence. Before you take
the test so try not to do anything new. Review what you've learned already and go into the
test feeling comfortable and confident. Alright, so by now, really quick recap, prepare for the
test, prepare for the test conditions. Even if you don't have time and you haven't prepared, bring
a picture of the people you love. When you're nervous, you're excited. And focus on the moment.
I hope you guys found that helpful. please be sure to hit the subscribe button, visit us at tstprep.com
for more TOEFL stuff and thank you guys for watching. All right, I'll see you in teh next video.