How to Help Students Cope with Test Anxiety
- By Pamela Roggeman
- 03/21/23
Test
anxiety is a real problem, affecting 25%
to 40%
of U.S. students. Anxiety, along with academic stress, can appear as
physical symptoms (such as headaches, nausea and sleeplessness) and
psycho-emotional symptoms (like difficulty concentrating or increased
irritability).
While
test anxiety is common, it’s important to make sure it’s not
debilitating. Parents, guardians and educators can play an active
role in supporting students experiencing these feelings. They can
provide resources that teach relaxation techniques and testing
strategies, or simply listen as students share their concerns. Here
are eight ways parents and educators can help ease test anxiety in
students.
1.
Emphasize preparation
Helping
students who suffer from test anxiety starts with proper preparation.
This means helping them study effectively and creating a clear plan
for their testing day. Preparation can look different for
individuals, but there are a few tips everyone can benefit from:
-
Create
an organized study plan: Develop a weekly or monthly testing
schedule and provide students with study guides.
-
Practice
relaxation techniques: Help students learn how to calm themselves by
practicing meditation, visualization, progressive muscle relaxation,
diaphragmatic breathing, mindfulness, or yoga.
-
Get
enough rest: Encourage students to go to bed early and take breaks
while studying.
-
Eat
healthy meals: A balanced diet helps reduce stress levels and
improve alertness and readiness for testing.
-
Seek
more resources: These include everything from testing strategies to
test-taking skills.
2.
Try to understand their fears
Test
anxiety can be rooted in a number of underlying fears, such as:
-
The
fear of failure or not being good enough.
-
Past
trauma related to school or test-taking.
-
Depression
or other mental health issues.
-
Performance
anxiety and social comparison.
Try
to understand why your student is feeling anxious or scared about
testing. Ask questions about past testing experience, what triggers
their stress, and how they feel when testing. For example:
-
What
do you think makes testing so difficult for you?
-
Tell
me about a time when you didn’t do well on a test. How did you
feel? What happened?
-
Do
any particular thoughts come to mind when testing?
-
What
are your biggest concerns about testing?
As
the student’s feelings and fears become clearer, you can offer more
targeted and practical support, and you can discuss strategies and
resources to help address these issues and succeed in learning, both
online and in the classroom.
3.
Provide opportunities to demonstrate competency
It
can be challenging for those who experience testing anxiety to feel
they are seen and heard, so it’s crucial to give them an
opportunity to prove their competency. This could mean providing them
with additional testing time or a relaxed testing environment. You
could also offer constructive feedback on their testing performance
and encouragement to keep trying.
Additionally,
you can provide extra testing resources such as practice tests or
test-taking strategies. This way, students can achieve tangible
results and understand success is possible with the right support.
4.
Reframe their perspective
To
help students maintain a better perspective on testing, explain that
testing is only one part of the learning journey. Remind them to take
a step back and focus on the bigger picture. The testing process has
many moving parts, and it’s essential to help students see that
testing is not the only way to measure their intelligence or
abilities.
Depending
on their age, encourage them to explore other opportunities such as:
These
experiences can give students a wider perspective on how intelligence
and competency are assessed as well as provide them with alternative
paths to success. Likewise, a broader perspective can help build
self-confidence and resilience, which can, in turn, help reduce
testing anxiety.
5.
Help manage underlying stress
Test
anxiety is often caused or exacerbated by preexisting anxiety.
Approximately 31.9%
of adolescents reported having an active form of the condition,
with 8.3% experiencing extreme levels that meet the DSM-IV criteria
for impairment. Therefore, helping students address and manage
underlying stress in both the short and long term can be helpful.
Not
every condition is the same, but some ideas for helping students
manage their stress include:
-
Creating
a welcoming classroom environment by encouraging open communication
and support.
-
Teaching
relaxation techniques, such as mindfulness, deep breathing, or
visualization to help manage anxiety.
-
Encouraging
students to take regular breaks throughout the testing process.
By
doing this, you can help students feel more secure in their testing
environment and better manage their testing anxiety overall.
6.
Share effective test-taking strategies
Test-taking
strategies are specific tools, techniques, and approaches that can be
used to maximize performance, reduce stress, and improve confidence.
Examples of effective test-taking strategies include:
-
Planning
ahead: Students must learn how to allocate time, understand the test
format, and preview testing material to anticipate which questions
may be asked.
-
Reading
directions: It’s important to carefully read instructions to
ensure comprehension before beginning any testing activity.
-
Staying
focused: Remaining organized and on task during testing can help a
student avoid wasting time or needing to double-check answers.
-
Eliminating
distractions: Staying focused by turning off electronics, putting
away testing materials, and blocking out other test-takers can help
students do their best work while managing their time efficiently.
7.
Emphasize positive thinking
One
of the best ways to help students manage testing anxiety is by
encouraging positive thinking. Positive thinking can be a powerful
tool for believing in one’s ability to succeed and perform well on
testing days. Positive thinking can also help reduce stress levels,
preventing testing anxiety from spiraling out of control.
Positive
thinking takes practice, and building healthy habits can create a
framework to achieve that. Help your students develop concrete
examples of positive self-talk they can use on testing days, such as,
“I am capable and confident,” or, “I can do this!” Have
students write these affirmations and commit them to memory.
Other
ways to encourage positive thinking include:
-
Rewarding
positive testing behavior.
-
Taking
moments of silence to relax and refocus.
-
Reinforcing
testing successes instead of failures.
8.
Encourage them to get enough sleep
Getting
a good night’s sleep before a testing day is one of the best ways
to reduce stress and maximize performance. Sleep helps restore energy
levels, dispel mental fog and improve memory.
The
American
Academy of Sleep Medicine
recommends that children ages 6 to 12 get 9 to 12 hours of sleep
every 24 hours and youths ages 13 to 18 get 8 to 10 hours.
Here
are some ways to optimize sleep before testing:
-
Go
to bed and wake up at the same time every night.
-
Avoid
bright screens (TV, computer, phone) for at least one hour before
bed.
-
Avoid
caffeine or other stimulants late in the day.
-
Listen
to calming music or read something relaxing before turning out the
lights.
-
Practice
mindful breathing or visualization techniques to feel more relaxed.