DR. WALLACE: I'm attending a community college. I will be transferring to a four-year university in the fall. The only thing standing in my way is a certain math class. I am currently enrolled in this class and have no problems with completing the required homework. However, when it comes to taking a test, I completely "choke." I was wondering if you would be kind enough to help me. —Nameless, Orange, Calif.

NAMELESS: "Choking" on a test is a common problem. Some students, no matter how well they know the material, put so much psychological pressure on themselves they can't access this knowledge effectively at test time.

I suggest that you make an appointment with your math instructor to discuss what can be done to help you overcome this stressful situation. Knowing the teacher is on your side and not out to get you, may ease your fears and let you perform up to capacity on the test. Believe me, the teacher has as much interest in your success as you do. Contact me again after you take your next math test and let me know the result.

CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR OVERPOWERS GOOD QUALITIES

DR. WALLACE: You once wrote that a parent should not choose a child's friends. But when a 14-year-old boy wrote saying that his father disapproved of his friends and forced him to find new friends, you agreed with his father. It seems like you are contradicting yourself.

I must say that I disagree with the boy's father, and I'm disappointed that you agreed with him. Good friends should stay together and not be separated by the whim of a misguided parent. Just because this boy's friends are in trouble with the law for selling drugs doesn't mean that these friends don't have good qualities, too. It also doesn't mean that these friends will pressure the boy into selling drugs. What makes you think that this boy can't think for himself? —P.J., Gary, Ind.

P.J.: Parents should not choose a child's friends, but they have the responsibility to stop the child from hanging around kids who are likely to be bad influences. Learning that your son's friends are dealing drugs is enough to make most parents alarmed. I back the action of this boy's parents. I'm sure some juvenile drug dealers do have good qualities, but that isn't the point. Criminal behavior by a teen overpowers his good qualities. When this occurs, wise parents intervene.

I WANT TO OBTAIN MY MEDICAL HISTORY

DR. WALLACE: I just finished reading the letter from the adopted girl who was extremely happy with her adoptive parents and didn't want to find out who her birth mother is. That's all well and good. I, too, am adopted and love my adopted parents, but I want to search for my birth mother. I want to obtain a medical history for myself and any children I might have. I also want to meet my birth mother and make her a part of my life. I'm 18 and will be graduating from high school soon. —Nameless, Athens, Ga.

NAMELESS: More power to you! I wish you the best of luck on your quest. Choosing to seek out one's birth mother is, of course, a highly individual decision. What's important is to have the love and support of your adoptive parents no matter what you decide to do.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at [email protected]. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.