Focus on the Next Question
During an exam, thinking about your final score, the questions you’ve already missed, or how much time remains can pull attention away from the only thing you can actually answer: the question in front of you.
The Science Behind It
Working memory has limited capacity. Worrying about your grade while simultaneously solving a complex problem asks your brain to manage multiple streams of information at once.
Narrowing your attention to one immediate task reduces those competing demands. Instead of mentally trying to solve the entire exam, identify the next action you need to take.
Try This Strategy
When you feel overwhelmed:
- Stop calculating your possible score.
- Stop thinking about previous questions.
- Look only at the current question.
- Identify what it’s asking.
- Complete the next logical step.
If you’re stuck and the test format allows it, mark it and move forward.
When to Use It
At the beginning: Focus on starting rather than evaluating the entire exam.
After a difficult question: Reset before moving forward.
When time feels stressful: Prioritize the next actionable task.
Mindfulness Moment
Quietly tell yourself: This question. This step. This moment. Then identify one action you can take.
Build Your Confidence
Practice recovering from difficult questions during practice exams. Confidence isn’t knowing every answer immediately—it’s knowing that getting stuck doesn’t have to derail everything that follows.
Common Mistakes
Avoid mentally calculating your grade throughout the exam, repeatedly checking the clock, spending too much time on one problem, assuming a difficult question means the entire test is difficult, or allowing one mistake to affect the next several questions.
Make It an Experiment
Question: Does focusing on one question at a time improve my concentration?
Hypothesis: If I stop thinking about my final score during the test, I’ll stay more focused.
Experiment: Use the “next question” strategy during a practice test.
Observe: Record how often your attention shifts toward grades, time, or previous mistakes.
Conclusion: Were you able to redirect your attention? Did it become easier with practice?
