Tips to Manage Test Anxiety
Feeling stressed about exams? It is normal to feel some pressure before exams; however, if your worries and fears become too intense, it can turn to text anxiety. Actually test anxiety in college and high school could affect many students’ academic performance. Besides, unmanaged test anxiety could lead to depression, low self-esteem, and other mental health issues. Therefore, it is important to learn how to reduce stress and anxiety.
Test Anxiety Symptoms
Test anxiety is more than feeling pressured about your exams. It is a type of performance anxiety. Specifically, you may have physical, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral symptoms. At times, you may even have panic attacks, which is similar to the symptoms of a heart attack. Overall, signs and symptoms of test anxiety may include the following:
Physical symptoms
- Headache or light-headedness
- Shaking
- Sweating
- Shortness of breath,
- Rapid heartbeat
- Fainting
Emotional symptoms
- Feelings of stress
- Worries or Fear
- Helplessness
- Feeling of inadequacy
Cognitive symptoms
- Racing thoughts
- Poor concentration
- Rumination about past poor performance and consequences of failures
- Negative self talk
- Forgetfulness
- Mind going blank
- Comparing yourself to others
Behavioral Symptoms
- Procrastination
- Avoidance of test situations
- Fidgeting or restlessness
- Check, double check, triple check your answers
Causes of Test Anxiety
Here are some reasons why you may have test anxiety, or at least why exam season may be stressful.
Poor Test History
Typically, students who have not done well on previous tests are more likely to experience test anxiety. You may worry about failure in future test and consequently feel nervous before and during your exams.
Fear of Consequences
If you are a student who feel too much pressure either from your parents or from yourself, you may associate your grade with your self worthy and future. As a result, you could easily worry about or have fear of possible negative consequences.
Procrastination or Lack of Preparation
If you have a habit of waiting until the last minute or not studying at all, it is not a surprise that you may be overwhelmed and anxious. Apparently procrastination is both the cause and result of test anxiety.
High Pressure to Plan for the Future
For many students, your grade is more than a number. For example, you may need a certain grade to pass the class; alternatively, it can be a ticket to their future for college, grad school, or jobs. If you have poor grades, it can take a massive blow to your self-esteem.
Perfectionists and People Pleasers
If by any chance you are a perfectionist, you may want your work to be almost flawless. However, when making no mistakes is your goal at school, it is literally mission impossible. Even if you push yourself to study really hard and beat yourself up when you don’t do well, you may end up having test anxiety or exam stress easily.
Students can also become people-pleasers with their grades. For one, you may be “The Golden Child” in your family. Golden child syndrome is when a person is deemed the “perfect” or “successful” child growing up. The golden child is the child the parents and other family members seem to have the most expectations for. As you can expect, a lot of pressure goes along with carrying this title.
When someone is the golden child, they may want to do well to please others. Their grades are a way that they get attention and validation from their family or friends, and they want to continue receiving this care.
Tips to Manage Test Anxiety and Exam Stress
Fortunately, there are many test anxiety tips and strategies to help you to reduce the unpleasant symptoms. They can be divided into 2 parts, that is, before and during your exams.
Before the Exams
1. Plan Accordingly
One way to manage stress during final season is to plan your schedule accordingly. A student can get very stressed when they don’t have a clear agenda or plan of how to study for each exam. Make a clear schedule for each day.
Remember to be realistic with your goals; sometimes, people can be over-enthusiastic and plan to do too many things one day. At the end of the day, when the person sees that they still need to finish nearly half of their goals, they may feel disappointed in themselves. Make goals you can stick to and try to do the best you can. Allow yourself to eat, take breaks, and get fresh air outside.
2. Study With Friends
Final season can be very isolating to people. They feel like they are studying all day, and it can be hard to do this alone constantly. Studying with friends or making a study group can help. Reach out to some people in your class and form a study group to go over certain materials together. If you would instead learn your material by yourself, ask your friends if they all want to study together and focus on your individual work. Even if no one is talking and they are focusing on their assignment, it could be nice to be in the presence of other people.
3. Practice Self-Care
Make sure you are practicing self-care during this time. It can be easy to neglect your needs in a stressful period of your life. Make sure you are still nurturing your body and brain by eating food that’ll give you energy, trying to move your body, and doing things that can bring you joy. Even if you allow yourself 10 minutes of your favorite TV episode during a study break or practice a hobby, it can be a form of self-care. Do what can bring you happiness or peace in this time!
4. Allow Yourself to Take Breaks
If you are a perfectionist, you may struggle with taking breaks. As a perfectionist, you may feel guilty when taking breaks or not studying 24/7 when you have an exam coming up. Remember that you are a human, not a robot. It would help you to do better on your exams if you had time to recharge and re-energize yourself. Don’t feel guilty for doing something that takes care of your mental and physical well-being.
5. Change Locations
Sometimes studying in the same place can start feeling stagnant and unmotivating. Switching up your locations and new surroundings to study in can help you feel motivated again. For example, if you keep studying in your room and start feeling stir-crazy, you can walk to the library or visit your local Starbucks to change your scenery.
6. Go Outside or Exercise
You may feel cooped up in your room or building each day when studying each day. Remember to go outside and get some fresh air.
As mentioned in our past article, certain Exercise helps regulate people’s emotions. Exercise can also help to decrease stress in people. Working out allows us to channel our feelings into whatever activity we wish to complete. The great thing about Exercise is that you can do it in many different ways. You may dislike lifting weights and running on the treadmill, but dancing makes you feel happy and energized. Find what works for you!
7. Practice Mindfulness to Reduce Test Anxiety
Mindfulness practices like yoga, meditation, mindful eating or walking, etc., can help you center yourself and stay in the present moment. Particularly immediately before the exams, learning to relax yourself helps you to sleep better and feel more relaxed. Soothing grounding techniques can be another effective way to deal with anxiety without medications. These may include petting your dog, visualizing your favorite places, touching your stuffed animals, or anything else comforting.
8. Practice Self-Compassion
Self-compassion is essential for any student to develop. Self-compassion allows us to be forgiving and understanding of ourselves like we would to our best friend. Think of how you treat a best friend. When you are friends with someone, and they make a mistake or mess up, you try your best to encourage them and comfort them. Be kind to yourself, especially when you make mistakes. You may have studied everything you could for your test and done amazing, or on the other hand, you may not have done well. No matter what happens, Show yourself kindness at the end of the day.
8. Lean on Support
Finals season can bring immense stress and loneliness to students. In these times, turn to social support systems or groups. Social support is the help and care someone receives from others. Social support comes in handy when we feel lost, afraid, and anxious in life. When we have people who help us deal/cope with our emotions better, we feel less alone.
During the Exams
9. Practice Grounding Technique
Grounding techniques can help you practice mindfulness and refocus on the present moment to reduce anxious feelings.
Specifically, Physical Grounding Techniques use your five senses or tangible objects to help you move through distress and deal with anxiety without medications. Examples include breathing, holding ice, putting your hands in water, and 5-4-3-2-1.
Similarly, mental distractions help redirect your thoughts away from distressing feelings and back to the present. For example, you can count numbers backward or categorize/list items (such as colors or musical instruments).
In general, grounding techniques or other meditation helps you to stay calm and relaxed. This process ensures that you can stay in the moment nonjudgmentally.
10. Talk with a therapist About How to Manage Test Anxiety
Being a student takes work. Sometimes you need help beyond just talking to your friend or family member. This is where professional service can support you! Speaking to the mental health resources at your school or finding a therapist can help you deal with stressors and cope healthily. Mind Connections wants to support your teen; call now!
Content Creator, Victoria Gallo; Reviewed by Dr. June Cao