Strategies for Coping with Test Anxiety

Elaine February 28 , 2023

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Test Anxiety is a very real struggle for many students of all ages. Since students are evaluated through testing, finding a way to work through the anxiety is often critical to a student’s success. Helping your student cope with test day nerves, is something that impacts many families. Here are some ideas to help.

• Prepare! Prepare! Prepare!
Study old tests/worksheets. Study in different places. Learn from prior testing – what worked – what didn’t. The longer you take to prepare, the more embedded into your permanent memory the material becomes. Dumping the material in the night before the test puts it into your less reliable short term memory.

• Talk to your ‘friend’
Turn negative self-thoughts around by talking to your friend. What would you say to your friend if they expressed angst or negativity? Be your own friend!

• Emphasize the Journey!
Emphasize the learning and effort more than the grade. A good grade is the result of good learning. Embrace the challenge of the test but focus on the path that has brought you to this point!

• Create a mini-ritual!
Create a technique for you to use when you feel nervous or distracted. Teach your body to associate it with feeling calm, confident and alert. Ideas: you’re own force field, imagine a blank screen, go to your happy place, find a mantra and repeat it over and over, deep breathing, find your ‘think’ button, wear a wrist band and gently snap or tug.

• Avoid the spiral!
The physical response to being anxious about taking the test is real! It’s a vicious cycle. Recognize the symptoms and understand it. Use deep-breathing and learned rituals to break the spiral. Some examples of the spiral: feeling nervous – heart races – breathing increases – panic starts – heart thumps – breathing shallows – vision blurs – hot/cold flashes surface

• Visualize the Challenge!
Visualization is creating a mental movie of the challenge that is ahead of you. Make a mental image of the test environment, see the test in your mind, and explore the potential difficulties. Lastly, imagine yourself working through the test with calm and confidence!

• Think like a Warrior!
Warrior thinking focuses on what you CAN do, on the skills, energy and willpower you can bring to the challenge – “what must I do to get through this?” A warrior only spends energy on what they can control. Worrying or wishing about what is beyond their control distracts them!

• Take care of yourself!
Practice healthy habits. Good nutrition, regular exercise, and good sleep go a long way! Also, getting into the practice of arriving early to take a few minutes to focus helps to start the journey on the right foot.

To learn more about Club Z!’s proven study skills program Learning Built to Last™ including time and self- management skills, note taking skills, better essay writing skills and other techniques – call us at 412.348.8599.