If you are a student who is trying to get better grades, there are a number of tricks that can help you to increase your ability to focus your concentration, retain the materials that you study, and recall it during a test without suffering from mental blocks or test anxiety.

These are the basics of how to establish good study habits:

(1) Set aside a place for study and study only! Locate a quiet place that will facilitate concentration without distractions. Some possible examples would be a library, a vacant classroom, or your bedroom.

You want to create the habit of studying when you are in this place. So it's best to not use this place for other activities like daydreaming, conversations, or playing games, etc.

Make sure that your study place has:

(a) A comfortable chair, but not too comfortable

(b) A desk

(d) Ventilation

Make sure that your study place doesn't have:

(a) Distracting views of other activities

(b) A phone

(d) A big screen TV

(e) A companion who talks a lot

(f) A refrigerator filled with snacks

(2) Divide your work into small, short-range goals.

(a) Set small highly specific goals like, "I am going to study my math from 2 PM to 3 PM. Otherwise you will only set yourself up to fail.

(b) Set a reachable study goal for the amount of time you've set aside. (For example: finish reading chapter six in my history text, or complete a rough draft of my English paper, etc.)

(d) Set reachable goals. You might do more than reach your goal but set a reasonable goal even if it seems too easy.

(3) Test Anxiety

(a) Some people mostly experience physical symptoms, like nausea, feeling hot or cold, headaches, or faintness, etc.

(b) Other people experience mostly emotional symptoms, like feeling irritable, crying, or getting frustrated quickly.

(c) The main problem with anxiety is that it can cause one to have a memory block. Or it could trigger thoughts that are racing out of control.

(d) Although you may currently feel some level of anxiety when taking exams, you can learn to greatly diminish that anxiety, or even completely eliminate it!

(e) Anxiety and the resultant stress are usually the main causes of a lack of ability to focus concentration. Stress can also cause a mental block when one tries to recall information.

(f) Hypnosis CD's can be utilized to relax your mind and focus your concentration. As your mind calms down, your ability to stay focused will increase. Similarly, a calm mind enhances your ability to retain information, and recall it when it is needed.

(g) Hypnosis CD's can also be used to program your mind for the positive expectation of peace and the ability to recall information during a test. This is effective at reducing or eliminating test anxiety.

(h) There are a number of NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) techniques that can quickly eliminate a test phobia!

Unique "spun" versions of my hypnosis articles are available for publication directly on your website without charge, as long as the byline and the links back to Neuro-VISION are kept intact.

Alan B. Densky, CH has specialized in the practice of hypnotherapy and Neuro-Linguistic Programming since 1978. He offers self-hypnosis CD's for memory and recall enhancement. Visit his Neuro-VISION Self-Hypnosis site for free hypnosis newsletters, articles, MP3 downloads and self-hypnosis videos.

Mr. Densky is the developer of the Neuro-VISION® Video Hypnosis Technology, which received a US Patent because of its uniqueness and effectiveness. Mr. Densky's latest undertaking has been to make the Neuro-VISION Appetite & Smoking Control Videos, and a long list of his other recorded hypnosis titles, available to the general public thru his company's web site.