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How to help students with test anxiety

Michael Feder

Written by Michael Feder

Photo of the College of Education Dean, Pam Roggeman, EdD.

Reviewed by Pamela M. Roggeman, EdD, Dean,听College of Education

Teacher overseeing students taking exam

Test anxiety is a real problem, affecting .听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鈥檚 important to make sure it鈥檚 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, we鈥檒l explore eight ways educators can help ease test anxiety in students.

1.听 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.听 Try to understand their fears

Test anxiety can be rooted in , 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鈥檛 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鈥檚 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.听 Provide opportunities to demonstrate competency

It can be challenging for those who experience testing anxiety to feel they are seen and heard, so it鈥檚 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.听 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鈥檚 essential to help students see that testing is not the only way to measure their intelligence or abilities.

Encourage them to explore other opportunities such as:

  • Internships
  • Mentorship programs
  • Extracurricular activities

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.听 Help manage underlying stress

Test anxiety is often caused or exacerbated by preexisting anxiety. Approximately听, 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.听 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听听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鈥檚 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.听 Emphasize positive thinking

One of the best ways to help students manage testing anxiety is by encouraging positive thinking. for believing in one鈥檚 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, 鈥淚 am capable and confident,鈥 or, 鈥淚 can do this!鈥 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.听听 Encourage them to get enough sleep

Getting a good night鈥檚 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 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.

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Headshot of Michael Feder

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A graduate of Johns Hopkins University and its Writing Seminars program and winner of the Stephen A. Dixon Literary Prize, Michael Feder brings an eye for detail and a passion for research to every article he writes. His academic and professional background includes experience in marketing, content development, script writing and SEO. Today, he works as a multimedia specialist at 爱污传媒 where he covers a variety of topics ranging from healthcare to IT.

Headshot of Pamela Roggeman

ABOUT THE REVIEWER

As dean of the 爱污传媒 College of Education,听Pamela Roggeman has spent over a decade in higher education teacher preparation in both the public and private sector. Her experience has included national partnerships that help to advance thought leadership in the field of education. Dr. Roggeman also serves as the President of the Arizona Educational Foundation鈥檚 Board of Directors.

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