"Ready, Begin"

[Lisa Troncoso]

 Has anyone had anxiety where once those above words are said for NCRA testing and your fingers are all over the place and/or even shaky to the point you can't type? Do you have tips or suggestions to overcome this? 

[Mary Jo Cochran]

I was 21.  Had transferred to a better (harder school).  Changed my strategy.  Started meditating twice a day.  Wanda the Witch (Lansing, MI) prepped me for the test.  She said, when you get there, remember what you're there for.  Don't stand and chat with anyone.   You don't want any of that chat on your mind.  You're not there to make friends.  Get there early, do your bathroom break.  The time before, relax and focus and clear your mind."

Back then the test was live.  (1981).  We were given assigned seats.  We got the five minute practice.  The girl to my left, her fingers were all over the keyboard like a race driver.  My thought was, "Oh, shit. I can't be seeing that."  I couldn't move, but I could change my direction so I didn't see her.  Then cleared my mind.

Pick a spot on the floor and stare at it.  Think ocean with sand and a hammock and a Corona (not kidding). Ready, Begin:  Get the first word, second word, CLEAN. Third word --- then you're in the race.

 I passed.  The girl to my left didn't stay to transcribe (back then on an IBM-S2).

[D Sanders, RDR, CRR]

Hmmm, my answer to passing everything?  A small shot of liquor.  I am NOT a good test taker.  It took the edge off.  

Plus, you HAVE to be prepared.  You HAVE to be.  You HAVE to go in there writing above your projected speed.  I only failed 2 tests in my life and each time I wasn't prepared.

you just KNOW when you are ready.  Trust me.  I knew the minute I finished the CSR I had passed.  Each time i knew.  

Being prepared gives you confidence.  If you can pass tests at above 225, you're ready !

[Quyen]

Oh, and I also told myself: "I don't HAVE to pass THIS one.  If I don't pass this one, I'll pass the next one."  Once I took the pressure off myself to pass, it didn't seem so bad, and I wasn't so nervous.

Good luck!  :)

[Quyen]

I went to CR school with a lady who always made it look SO easy when she wrote.  She was very calm and wrote with a very light touch, like she was gently playing the piano.  She was VERY good and passed each test level seemingly very quickly and just as easily.   I asked her one day, "How do you do that?" -- write like that, that is.

She said: "Write every test like it's practice. Write every practice like it's a test."

I really thought about what she said and put it to practice.  I think I passed the qualifiers thanks to her.