eupeimproveenglish

1) GOING BLANK Nervousness before an exam is common amongst students. The symptoms are well-known: small tics, bitten fingernails, sweating and so on. However, for 20% of Spanish students, nervousness becomes uncontrollable fear, with panic attacks before tests. Very often the result is that their minds go completely blank. This mental block is caused by anxiety. Anxiety is a common emotion for all individuals which is not necessarily negative, sometimes it helps us to decide whether to accept or avoid a risk. According to J.Tobal, a psychologist, “a total inhibition takes place” in panic attacks. A strong emotional reaction paralyses the mechanisms that recover the information stored within the memory. This is what the students usually call “going blank”. Once the panic has passed the students are able to access the answers. J. Tobal states that exacerbated anxiousness also appears in other spheres of life, such as driving tests or declarations ...