5 proven ways to handle test anxiety

Millions of students get a little nervous and anxious about their exams, and there’s no reason to feel embarrassed about it. But you should know the best ways to handle anxiety so that you can have a stress-free test day.

What is test anxiety?

Test anxiety is a form of anxiety that students experience during exams. It is a feeling of worry, nervousness, and apprehension that you experience just before taking a test. It is normal to feel nervous before or even during an exam. But in some people, test anxiety can be so severe that it interferes with their ability to learn and perform well on exams. You may feel that your mind is blank or frozen, or that your hands are shaking so much that you can’t write down the answers to the test questions.

How do you get test anxiety?

Test anxiety is caused by fear of failure in a particular situation, such as taking a test. When you experience this fear, your body reacts by releasing adrenaline (epinephrine). This chemical triggers an increase in heart rate and blood pressure, which can make you feel anxious and stressed out. Your muscles may also tense up as part of this reaction.

Test anxiety usually begins when you first start school, but it can occur at any age. It often occurs in students who have been working hard towards a goal for a long time, such as getting into a good college or university or graduating from high school or college with a good grade point average (GPA).

Which kind of student finds it harder to handle test anxiety

Perfectionists

A perfectionist is someone who has very high standards for themselves, but they can be difficult to live up to. Perfectionists often set standards that are too high and can become discouraged when they do not meet their goals. This can lead them to believe that they are inadequate or stupid. They may feel that everyone else is better than them, and they may fear failure.

Overachievers

An overachiever is someone who strives to achieve very high grades and may feel that they need to get perfect scores on all of their assignments to succeed in life. They may also place a lot of importance on getting into the best college possible and feel that failing a test will ruin their chances of getting into the college of their dreams. These students do not want to let anyone down, especially themselves, so they put a lot of pressure on themselves to perform well at all times.

The neglected

Parental negligence can also cause students to become nervous about taking tests. The child that is not given the attention they require is more likely to worry about what others think about them. They may also have low self-esteem because they feel that they are not good enough for their parents’ attention.

They suffer from separation anxiety from their parents that rarely spend time with them or show them love and affection. This can lead to a fear of failure that can affect how to handle test anxiety.

Kids with learning disabilities

Kids with learning disabilities as well as ADHD typically struggle with tests, because they either aren’t able to retain what they’ve learned or have difficulty with the mechanics of reading, writing or math. These students often get poor grades on tests and find that the poor grades lower their self-esteem and confidence. If your child has a diagnosed learning disability, talk to his teacher about strategies for improving test performance or accommodations that will alleviate stress and help him feel more confident in his abilities.

The procrastinators

These are the people who wait until the last minute, cramming as much information into their brains as possible. They know what they need to do, but they’re stressed out because they haven’t done it yet. They’re likely to be more susceptible to test anxiety because they don’t have a lot of time to prepare themselves for the upcoming exam and they probably aren’t used to studying in this way.

Best ways to handle test anxiety

Start preparing early

Test preparation is important because it allows students time to prepare for the exam while they’re still relaxed and focused instead of under pressure. Test preparation should begin at least two weeks before an exam so that students have time to review material, ask questions and practice answering questions with their peers or teachers.

Get adequate sleep

Test anxiety can be caused by lack of sleep or poor quality of sleep. If you don’t get enough sleep, your brain won’t function well and you won’t be able to concentrate on the test. You need to give yourself enough time to get a good night’s rest before the test.

Eat healthy food

A healthy diet can help reduce your test anxiety. Foods that are high in fat and sugar have an adverse effect on your body and mind, which can affect your performance during the exam. So try eating healthy foods like whole grains, fruits, vegetables and lean proteins that keep you energized throughout the day.

Practice breathing exercises

Breathing exercises are another way to reduce test anxiety. They help calm down your nervous system and relax your muscles, making it easier for you to focus on the exam instead of worrying about what might happen if you fail it! The trick here is deep breathing — inhaling for five seconds then exhaling for five seconds will help you relax faster than just regular breathing does!

Visualize success.

Imagine yourself going into the test room feeling calm and confident. Picture yourself answering each question correctly and finishing with time to spare. This visualization exercise can actually help reduce your stress level before taking an exam!