Member-only story
The Psychology of Test Taking
Passing tests is a malleable skill
I used to be terrible at taking tests.
In both my formal and professional education, when it comes time to take tests I consistently fall in the 70–80% range. But nowadays, the only reason I take tests are to achieve certifications that make me more valuable and marketable.
Ultimately, achieving the certification is all that matters because nobody will ask you what your passing score was. Nobody cares about that, they just want to know if you are capable of doing a job they are considering paying you for.
What matters is that you are able to consistently pass exams to become a certified professional. At this point you continue doing the work to become a skilled professional.
Taking an exam alters the chemical composition of your brain
Like it or not, your brain changes as you sit for an exam.
Your brain will release a chemical called dopamine as you anticipate the reward of doing well. It will also release a chemical related to stress called cortisol, when you have inevitable random thoughts of failing your exam and the associated consequences.
Depending on the balance of these chemicals, your outlook on passing will shift to either more…
