Testing Jitters: Four Ways to Help Them Overcome Anxiety

     Test stress happens to just about everyone, and severe anxiety can sometimes strike even the most prepared students. But for some kids, every single test is a nightmare. Their palms sweat, their hearts race, and their minds go into overdrive with negative thoughts about failure – and that can be before they even get a foot in the classroom door on test day.

     Almost 20 percent of today’s students experience test anxiety, according to the American Test Anxiety Association. They don’t just worry they might not ace the test – they actually “freeze” while taking it. High test anxiety reduces working memory, confuses reasoning, increases mistakes, and lowers test scores. Research suggests students with high test anxiety perform around 12 percentile points below their peers who are not anxious test-takers.

1. Have a Studying Strategy.
Being prepared can make a world of difference in a  student’s self-confidence. Take a good look at how,  where and when your child studies. Is it too late  in the day? Are there distractions around? Is your  child trying to learn while hungry or overtired?  Does your child procrastinate learning new  material? Do your best to address each need and  set your child up for success. That means a healthy  snack, a quiet study corner, a good night’s  sleep – and no electronics (including a cell phone  or TV!) nearby.

2. Have a Test-taking Strategy.
You can’t be there to help your child through the  test, but you can tell him how to take one. When the test is set in front of him, tell him to flip through it to gauge how many questions there are and what’s involved. Then have him answer every question he knows right away, skipping anything he’s not sure about, then backtrack carefully to answer the questions he skipped. Tell him not to fret about the clock, but try to save a few minutes to go back through and check his answers. Finally, encourage him to raise his hand and ask a question if he needs something clarified.

3. Practice Positive Thinking.
Negative, self-defeating thoughts can sap your child’s mental strength, mucking up her ability to do well even if she knows all the answers. Challenge negative ideas (“I never do well on tests.”) and reframe them in a positive, honest way (“You studied hard for last week’s spelling test and passed with flying colors!”) so your child begins to see there are no absolutes.

4. Hold Your Tongue.
The morning of the test is not the time to suggest your child should have studied more or started preparing earlier. It’s not the time to nag about how late your teen stayed up or pick a fight about what your teen chose for breakfast. Try to remain calm and positive without smothering or shoving encouragement down your child’s throat. Your anxious test taker needs all the good vibes he or she can get.