Mental Health

 

Author: Mark Gilbert and Karen Gilbert

 

On this page: How to use this resource Part 1: Identifying test anxiety Part 2: Realistic Thinking for Test Anxiety Part 3: Coping with test anxiety Part 4: Tips for test success

When it comes to exams, do you...

• Feel tense, jittery, or uneasy right before tests begin or before getting results back

• Often lose sleep the night before or in the days leading up your test

• Find yourself more focused on consequences of failing the test than the test itself

• Feel nervous and unsure of yourself, questioning how smart you are

• Feel that you’re not doing well on the test no matter how you're actually doing

• Need to take a few moments to calm down when first starting your test

• Find yourself making careless mistakes due to feeling so worried, sometimes forgetting facts or information you really know

• Feel 'panicky' if you come across unexpected questions

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How to use this resource

The intent of this booklet is to help students and parents better understand test anxiety, and to provide methods to help students cope with test anxiety and ultimately be successful in their courses. Students should read this booklet carefully, consider which aspects of test anxiety apply to them, and then identify coping strategies that may help address the anxiety. Ideally, parents would read this booklet with their student and participate in the resulting discussion and identification of coping strategies. Remember that understanding and some guidance from family members can help students feel supported and ultimately help them cope with their anxiety.

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Part 1: Identifying test anxiety

Test anxiety has been defined as “the tendency to appraise tests and test-like situations, where performance is evaluated, as threatening, and response with high levels of state anxiety” (Putwain & Symes, 2020). Put simply, individuals who experience this type of anxiety enter testing or evaluative situations thinking the situation (typically a test/exam) exceeds their capabilities. Once you believe you can’t perform well, a variety of thoughts and feelings come up that make the test or performance situation even harder to deal with. Generally speaking, the higher the stakes of the exam, the higher the anxiety gets. Test anxiety is not considered a clinical disorder but it does cause some people considerable distress and it is very common.

Psyched Up, Not Psyched Out!

In order to perform well in a challenging situation, you must be psychologically and physically alert. You certainly won't perform well on an exam or in an event if you are nearly asleep! This level of "alertness" is also called arousal. Some degree of arousal is essential for optimal performance. Increasing arousal is the idea behind "psyching up"—and it works—in many cases, psyching up enhances performance. The problem is that when the intensity of arousal gets too high, we often begin to feel nervous and tense and experience anxiety. At this level, anxiety becomes distracting and performance declines—we get "psyched out." For optimal performance, you need to keep your arousal at an intermediate level—psyched up, but not psyched out!

Remember that anxiety is normal and within all of us to help keep us safe and protect us from danger. If we didn’t have at least some test anxiety, we’d stop caring about the results of tests or performance situations altogether. If we didn't care, we'd put in minimal work and our performance or results would suffer. We have to work on finding a balance between too little worry and too much worry.

Test Anxiety—Psyched Out!

Almost everyone feels nervous or experiences some anxiety when faced with a test or an exam. In fact, it is unusual to find a student who doesn't approach a big test without a degree of anxiety. Many students experience some nervousness or apprehension before, during, or even after an exam. It is perfectly natural to feel some anxiety when preparing for and taking a test.

Too much anxiety about a test is commonly referred to as test anxiety. Test anxiety is very common among students of all ages! It can interfere with your studying, and you may have difficulty learning and remembering what you need to know for the test. Further, too much anxiety may hurt your performance. You may have difficulty demonstrating what you know during the test.

Test anxiety can cause a host of problems in students, ranging from mild occasional discomfort on specific tests to severe impairment where avoidance of tests or school altogether becomes the primary coping strategy. Although each person will experience a different collection of symptoms with differing degrees of intensity, the symptoms fall into a few categories.

• Physical—headaches, stomachaches, nausea or diarrhea, body temperature changes, excessive sweating, shortness or breath, light-headedness or fainting, rapid heart beat, muscle tension, and/or dry mouth

• Emotional—excessive feelings of fear and worry, feeling extremely stressed or threatened within the performance situation, occasional feelings of panic

• Behavioral—fidgeting, pacing, substance use or abuse, avoidance of the situation (if possible)

• Cognitive—racing thoughts, 'going blank', difficulty concentrating, negative self-talk, feelings of dread, comparing yourself to others (usually negatively), difficulty organizing your thoughts and recalling information you’ve studied, a tendency to view challenging situations as 'threatening'

Research has shown that providing students with tools and strategies that build both cognitive skills along with healthy test-taking habits when preparing for a test can help them manage their test anxiety while also improving their ability to prepare for and perform in evaluative situations.

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Part 2: Realistic Thinking for Test Anxiety

Realistic thinking means looking at all aspects of a situation (the positive, the negative and the neutral) before making conclusions. In other words, realistic thinking means looking at yourself, others, and the world in a balanced and fair way.

Step 1: Pay attention to your self-talk

Thoughts are the words or images in our mind, and we have thousands of them each day. We all have our own way of thinking about things, and how we think has a big effect on how we feel. When we think that something bad will happen—such as failing a test—we feel anxious. For example, imagine you have a test in Math class. If you think you are going to fail, and you believe that thought, you will likely feel scared and anxious. But, if you think you can pass, and you believe that thought, you might feel calmer or at least less anxious.

Often we are unaware of our thoughts, but because they have such a big impact on how we feel, it is important to start paying attention to what we are saying to ourselves.

Step 2: Identify thoughts that lead to feelings of anxiety

It can take some time and practice to identify the specific thoughts that make you anxious. Most children and teens don’t have a lot of experience "thinking about thinking" so this can take a while to learn and may be difficult at first. Pay attention to situations that make you uncomfortable or anxious. When you notice yourself getting more anxious, that is the time to ask yourself:

• 'What am I thinking right now?'

• 'What is making me feel anxious? What’s happening right now around me?'

• 'What am I worried will happen? What am I predicting or guessing about the future?'

• 'What bad thing do I expect to happen?'

Step 3: Challenge your 'anxious' thinking

Thinking something doesn't mean it's true or that it will happen. For example, thinking that you will fail a test doesn't mean you will actually fail. Often, our thoughts are just guesses and not actual facts. We're just predicting a future and we can make multiple predictions – some negative (anxious), some positive (optimistic), and some neutral (realistic). Therefore, it is helpful to challenge your anxious thoughts because they can make you feel like something bad will definitely happen, even when that’s only a possibility and not a fact. Anxiety tricks us into thinking that possibilities (like failing a test in a subject we're pretty good at) are actually probable (you're actually very likely to fail – it's probably going to happen). When we challenge our thoughts, we need to separate what is possible (just about anything!) versus what is probable (what happens most times – what is likely).

Sometimes, our anxiety is the result of falling into thinking traps. Thinking traps are distorted or overly negative ways of seeing things. Use the chart on the following page and consider which thinking traps contribute to your own anxiety.

Thinking traps & test anxiety

Thinking trap example re: tests & school performance

Fortune-telling: This is when we predict that things will turn out badly. We act like our guesses about the future are true—like we actually know with certainty what is going to happen before anything actually happens. In reality, we cannot predict the future because we don’t have a magic ball! No one can actually predict the future, even if feels like you can when anxiety takes over.

"I know I'll mess up."

"I'll never be able to pass math."

All-Or-Nothing Thinking: This is when we only look at situations in terms of extremes: things are either good or bad, a success or a failure. In reality, most events call for a more 'moderate' explanation. For example, missing one class assignment does not mean you have failed the entire course—you just need to get caught up in class and/or complete the next assignment. Not getting or understanding the first question on a test doesn't mean you won't understand the rest of the exam—it's just the first question. There's plenty more!

"If I don't get a good mark on this one test, I'll totally fail."

"I planned to study 6 hours and I know I only studied for 4 and a half. Now there's no way I can pass!"

Mind-reading: This trap happens when we believe that we know what others are thinking and we assume that they are thinking the worst of us. The problem is that no one can read minds, so we don't really know what others are thinking! In testing or performance situations, looking at others and believing they are all focused on you and thinking you're a failure can significantly increase your anxiety and hurt your performance.

"Everyone will think I'm stupid. There's no way I can get through this."

"The teacher doesn't like me. They think I'm a failure."

Over-generalization: This is when we make broad, sweeping statements or conclusions about things based on a single event or just a small amount of evidence. In other situations we may focus on dismissing or ignoring positives and only focusing on negatives. This type of thinking is not helpful because it does not take all situations into account. For example, sometimes we make mistakes, but we don’t always make mistakes. Doing poorly on one exam doesn't mean you're a "failure at everything,"—it means you struggled on one exam.

"I always fail school work. I'm a horrible student."

"I never pass tests. I don't understand anything about math."

Labeling: Sometimes we talk to ourselves in mean ways and use a single negative word to describe ourselves. This kind of thinking is unhelpful and unfair. We are too complex to be summed up in a single word!

"I'm dumb."

"I'm a loser."

Over-estimating danger: This is when we believe that something that is unlikely to happen is actually right around the corner. It's not hard to see how this type of thinking can maintain your anxiety. For example, if you feel certain you'll be in trouble with your parent or caregiver for doing poorly on an exam, it makes sense you’d feel uneasy or anxious.

"My parents will be so angry at me if I fail this exam."

"I'm going to throw up and get really sick during this test."

Filtering: This happens when we only pay attention to the bad things that happen, but ignore all the good things. This prevents us from looking at all aspects of a situation and drawing a more balanced conclusion. Believing you got a bad mark on a test because you left 3 questions blank, even though you know you did all of the other 32 questions on the paper.

Catastrophizing: This is when we imagine that the worst possible thing is about to happen, magnifying problems in a way that makes them more severe than they probably will be. In most cases, the imagined worst-case scenario doesn't come close to happening and even if it did, we are most likely able to cope with it.

"If I don't pass this test I'll never into any university."

"I'm going to look like such an idiot! The other kids will laugh and I'll die from embarrassment."

Should/could/would statements ("Counterfactual thinking"): This is when we focus on what could have happened or should have happened instead of what actually happened (reality). Thinking about all the "what ifs" or "if only" situations can make us feel sad, angry, or anxious.

"I could have passed that test if I just tried harder or studied more."

"I should never make mistakes in my schoolwork."

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Part 3: Coping with test anxiety

Use the Thinking Traps & Test Anxiety form to help you identify the traps into which you might have fallen.

Here are some questions to ask yourself to help challenge your negative thoughts or self-talk:

• Am I falling into a thinking trap (for example, catastrophizing or mind-reading)?

• What is the evidence that this thought is true? What is the evidence that this thought is not true?

• What would I tell a friend if they had that thought?

• Am I confusing a "possibility" with a "probability?" It may be possible, but is it likely?

• Am I 100% sure that ________________ will happen?

• How many times has ________________ happened before?

• Is ________________ really so important that my future depends upon it?

• What is the worst that could happen?

• Is this a hassle or a horror?

• What else could happen – what are some other alternatives?

• If it did happen, what can I do to cope or handle it?

Here's an example to help you challenging your negative thinking:

You have an important math test tomorrow and have been feeling quite anxious about it. You may think: "I'm going to fail the test tomorrow!" To challenge this thought, you can ask yourself the following questions:

Yes, I have fallen into the trap of fortune-telling, predicting things will turn out badly before the event even takes place. But I still think I'm going to fail.

I might feel like I'm going to fail, but there is no evidence to support it. I'm just guessing I'll fail, I don't know for sure. I'm prepared for the test, and I have passed other tests at school before.

No, but what if I do this time?

The worst that could happen is I do fail the test. It'll be disappointing, but it won't be the end of the world. I can go for extra help to find out what went wrong, and ask my teacher if there is anything I can do to improve my mark. This is just one test.

• Am I falling into a thinking trap?

• Am I basing my judgment on the way I feel instead of the facts?

• Am I 100% sure that I will fail or just predicting a negative future?

• Well, what’s the worst that could happen? If the worst did happen, what could I do to cope with it? How would I get through this and move on?

Use copies of this Realistic Thinking & Test Anxiety form to regularly write down thoughts that make you anxious. Use the Thinking Traps & Test Anxiety form along with this handout to help you replace your anxious thoughts with more realistic ones.

Realistic thinking & test anxiety form

Situation or trigger	Anxious or worried thoughts	Realistic thoughts
Math test tomorrow	I'm not good at math and I'm terrible at tests. I'm going to fail. I'll never pass Math!	I will study tonight and try my best tomorrow. I am fortune-telling and I don’t know for sure that I will fail. I passed the last test. I have done fine on the homework assignments, so I will probably pass Math even if I don’t do that well on this test.

Helpful realistic thinking tips

Tip #1: Coping statements

Try coming up with statements that remind you how you can cope with a situation. For example:

• "If I get anxious, I will focus on slowing my breathing to calm my body."

• "I've prepared for this and will give it my best effort."

• "Almost everyone feels anxious before tests, this is a normal feeling."

• "This has happened before and I know how to handle it. I have handled it before."

• "My anxiety won’t last forever, this is just temporary."

Tip #2: Positive self-statements

Regularly practice being kind to yourself (say positive things about yourself), rather than being overly self-critical. For example: Instead of saying "I will fail," say something like...

• "I know I can do this. I'll take it one question at a time, step by step."

• "Everyone experiences anxiety. I can handle this."

• "Whatever happens, I’ll learn from this and improve from this experience."

• "My worth is not defined by this test."

Tip #3: Alternative balanced statements based on challenging negative thoughts

Once you've looked at the evidence or recognized that you've fallen into a thinking trap, come up with a more balanced thought based on facts, not feelings. For example:

When you are facing a math test, a more balanced thought could be:

• "There is a chance that I will not pass the math test tomorrow. But, not passing a math test does not mean I will fail the entire class. Even if I don't pass the test, it doesn't mean I will never graduate from high school. I have passed many school assignments and tests before. This is only a part of my grade and I’ll get through this no matter what happens."

Dealing with physical tension to help test anxiety

Here are a few exercises you can try to help relieve the tension in your body. It can help you relax and boost your energy level.

Calm Breathing

When we feel anxious and stressed one of the first things that can change is our breathing, which often becomes faster and shorter. This exercise focuses on breathing and slowing our breath and body down when it becomes tense and anxious. This can help kids, teens, and adults calm down.

First, focus on being present and slowly taking in a deep breath through your nose if possible. For kids it can help to use a visual, like taking a long and slow smell of a flower or tasty cookies! Feel the air fill up your chest and lungs like a balloon slowly getting bigger and bigger until it reaches max size. Now, gently and slowly focus on letting that air out through your mouth like you’re letting that balloon air out as slowly as possible. If you can, try to exhale for 5-seconds or longer—as slow as you can go without it being uncomfortable. Repeat this process again and again, focusing on a controlled and slow intake of air and a slow and rhythmic exhale of air. This can help slow down your heart rate, help you feel more centered and present, and reduce feelings of physical anxiety that make realistic thinking difficult.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

This can look a little silly when done in public but if done correctly hardly anyone will notice (remember, most people will be focused on their exam in front of them instead of what you're doing!). Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR for short) helps relieve tension by tightening and then relaxing different muscle groups in our bodies, promoting a feeling of relaxation overall.

Start by taking a deep breath and using the calm breathing strategy already discussed. Then, pick a place to start relaxing. One easy place is our hands—take each hand and pretend you are squeezing every ounce of juice out of a lemon. Squeeze really tight—hold it for a few seconds (it shouldn't hurt but it should feel tight!) and then let go—relax! Repeat this a few times until you feel your hands and fingers a little looser and more relaxed. Now—pretend you are a turtle sneaking back into your shell and raise your shoulders up towards your ears. Hold your shoulders there until you feel them tingle (a few seconds is good) and then relax, let them drop and feel heavy and low and relaxed. Repeat a few times. You can do similar exercises (squeeze and release) with your toes, stomach muscles, and even your face (scrunching up your eyes, nose, and mouth like you just ate something really sour).

Reducing Test Anxiety – Practical Steps to Test Taking

• Being well prepared for the test is the best way to reduce test taking anxiety. If you really haven’t prepared enough anxiety will be worse, so ensure you've studied and put the time in to being successful.

• Space out your studying over a few days or weeks, and continually review class material, don't wait until the night before and try to learn everything quickly. Cramming simply doesn't work.

• Try to maintain a positive attitude while preparing for the test and during the test. Bringing a negative or pessimistic attitude into the situation will only hurt, not help.

• Exercising for a few days before the test can help reduce overall stress or tension.

• Get a good night's sleep before the test. This can be difficult but do what you can to promote relaxation a few hours before bedtime to ensure you fall asleep at a good time.

• Show up to class early so you won't have to worry about being late. Starting off feeling rushed or uneasy will make anxiety worse.

• Stay relaxed. If you begin to get nervous take a few deep breaths slowly to relax yourself and then get back to work. Be aware of how you can shift from anxious to relaxed and back to anxious again.

• Read the directions slowly and carefully. Re-read if helpful to ensure you're taking in the information correctly.

• If you don't understand the directions on the test, ask the teacher to explain it to you if that's an option.

• Skim through the test so that you have a good idea how to pace yourself. Don’t feel overwhelmed—you're just getting a sense of how much work there is to do and how much time you have to do it.

• Write down important formulas, facts, definitions and/or keywords in the margin first so you won't worry about forgetting them.

• Do the simple questions first to help build up your confidence for the harder questions. If you don’t know the first question, move on to the next but make sure you make a note somewhere to come back to it at the end if you still have time.

• Don't worry about how fast other people finish their test; just concentrate on your own test. Just because someone finishes before you doesn’t mean they did well on the exam.

• If you don't know a question skip it for the time being (come back to it later if you have time), and remember that you don't have to always get every question right to do well on the test.

• Focus on the question at hand; don't let your mind wander on other things.

Dos and don'ts of dealing with test anxiety

• Don't cram for an exam. The amount you learn won't be worth the stress.

• Don't think of yourself or the test in a negative sense.

• Don't stay up late studying the night before. You need the sleep. Begin studying a week in advance if possible.

• Don't spend time with classmates who generate stress for you on test day.

• Do remind yourself that the test is only a test – only one test.

• Do reward yourself after the test with a fun activity or time with friends/family.

• Do something relaxing the last hour before the test – focus on your anxiety management strategies rather than cramming in more information or allowing anxiety to take over.

• Do tell yourself that you will do your best on the test, and that will be enough!

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Part 4: Tips for test success

Test preparation tips

• Budget your time. Make sure you have sufficient time to study so that you are well prepared for the test.

• Go to review. Pay attention to hints that the instructor may give about the test. Take careful notes and ask questions about items you may be confused about.

• Ask the instructor to specify the areas that will be emphasized on the test.

• Make sure you go to the class right before the test; it's another prime time for the instructor to give out more hints or the format of the test.

• Go over any material from old tests, HW's, sample problems, review material, the textbook, class notes... that might be on the test.

• Eat before a test, having food in your stomach will give you energy and help you focus, but avoid heavy foods or anything that might really upset your stomach.

• Don't try to pull an all nighter – poor sleep (or no sleep) will hurt your performance, not help it. Your brain needs sleep to function effectively.

• Put the main ideas/information/formulas onto a sheet that can be quickly reviewed many times, this makes it easier to retain the key concepts that will be on the test.

• Try to show up at least 15 minutes before the test will start. Leave plenty of time in case something pops up before the exam unexpectedly.

• Set your alarm and have a backup alarm set as well.

• Go to the bathroom before walking into the exam room, you don't want to waste anytime worrying about your bodily needs during the test.

 

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