For a large number of people, tests are not representative measures of what they know. With many other factors at play, tests can often become emotionally charged events filled with worry, pressure, anxiety, and stress. While a bit of stress and nervousness is normal to experience before writing a test, and can often be helpful to motivate preparation, many individuals experience such a strong anxiety about tests that it interferes with their ability to think clearly, recall information, and perform in a way that is indicative of their abilities. This is frequently seen through discrepancies between scores on tests and other evaluations, such as homework or assignments, which loved ones can use as a sign to try to help manage the developing anxiety.
Test anxiety is not limited to children and teens; many individuals struggle with the overwhelming stress well past secondary school. Regardless of age, a key first step to coping with test anxiety and building resilience and confidence around the evaluation process is to understand what test anxiety actually is, looks and feels like, and some of the common causes.
What is test anxiety?
Test anxiety is more than feeling a bit nervous before writing a quiz; it is an involuntary stress response that some people experience before, during, or even after completing a test, often being so overwhelming that it negatively impacts their test performance. When put simply, test anxiety often is the result of fear, whether it be of failure, disappointing others, or social expectations. Some people first experience struggles with testing anxiety early on in their lives, while others develop heightened responses later on with the increase in academic expectations and pressure.
This is an emotional experience that ranges from mild to intense distress. And while not a specific type of disorder, the symptoms can often be indicative of or the manifestation of an anxiety-related disorder. This would usually depend on how long someone has been experiencing test anxiety, how significant the distress is, and how much the anxiety impacts their functioning (beyond the specific test performance).
What does test anxiety look and feel like?
Test anxiety can show up and be felt in different ways. It typically involves a mix of physical, emotional, cognitive, and behavioural symptoms.
- Physically: Individuals commonly experience nausea, headaches, heat flashes, sweating, increased heart rate, shortness of breath, or more.
- Emotionally: Individuals often experience strong levels of fear, frustration, irritability, helplessness, sadness, shame, and an overall sense of dread.
- Cognitively: Individuals often experience difficulty concentrating, a state where their mind goes blank, thoughts race, their mind wanders, and they subject themselves to harsh self-talk (for example, saying ‘I can’t do this’).
- Behaviourally: Individuals often show test anxiety through difficulty sleeping, restlessness, frequent fidgeting, procrastination, and, frequently, there are significant discrepancies between scores on tests and other evaluations, such as homework or assignments.
It is important to understand that these reactions can feed into one another, creating what’s called a maladaptive cycle. A racing heart can trigger worry, worry can block recall, and blocked recall can increase panic.
Why does test anxiety happen?
It is often difficult to identify a single cause at the root of one’s test anxiety. Typically, it is the result of a combination of individual traits, personal experiences, expectations, internal pressure, and more. Some common contributing factors include:
- Fear of failure or consequences: Worry about disappointing parents or teachers, losing privileges, or falling behind. When grades become tied to self-worth, the pressure can become overwhelming, leading to test anxiety.
- Past negative experiences: Having a negative experience with a test in the past (especially if recently) predisposes one to be susceptible to experiencing test anxiety. For example, receiving a poor grade or blanking during a test in the past can make future tests feel extra intimidating, even if one is well prepared and capable.
- High expectations or perfectionism: Individuals who hold themselves to very high standards often struggle with test anxiety, as potential mistakes can be viewed as unacceptable, and anything less than “perfect” can feel like failure. These extreme expectations add immense pressure, often leading to overwhelming anxiety.
- Feeling unprepared or unsure: When children don’t fully understand the material or don’t know what to expect on a test, anxiety naturally increases.
- Loss of control: Tests are time-limited, evaluated by others, and often high-stakes, and for some students, this lack of control can be particularly stressful. Anxiety often stems from uncertainty, which is inherently characteristic of test-taking.
Help manage test anxiety and build resilience
The goal isn’t to eliminate anxiety entirely. Some level of stress helps us stay alert and engaged, and motivates effective preparation. Instead, the focus is on managing anxiety so it doesn’t become so overwhelming that it hinders the ability to concentrate and perform. Here are some helpful ways to work through test anxiety and mitigate the impacts:
- Normalize and validate the experience: Let individuals know that feeling nervous before a test is a common experience. Make sure to avoid minimizing their feelings or immediately offering solutions, which may seem like you are trying to “fix” them. Rather, validating their feelings and experience can help reduce shame and open the door to self-driven problem-solving.
- Focus on preparation without pressure: Encourage steady, spaced studying rather than last-minute cramming. Helping individuals create simple study plans by breaking tasks into manageable pieces can foster confidence and reduce perceived uncertainty.
- Help shift the inner dialogue: Many anxious students are extremely hard on themselves, placing an immense amount of pressure on the need to succeed. Help identify negative self-talk and gently guide toward replacing it with more balanced thoughts, such as “I can take this one question at a time.”
- Teach calming strategies: Breathing exercises, body scans, or brief muscle relaxation techniques can help regulate the strong anxiety response. Practicing these when an individual is calm makes them easier to retrieve and use when experiencing anxiety during a test.
- Emphasize effort over outcome: Help to reinforce the notion that a test result does not define one’s intelligence or worth. By praising effort, persistence, and problem-solving – rather than just grades – an individual can separate their performance on the test from their identity and self-worth.
- Support healthy routines: Sleep, regular healthy meals, movement, and regular breaks all help to increase anxiety and stress tolerance, while simultaneously promoting overall emotional regulation. A well-rested and nourished brain and body cope much better with difficult situations.
- Encourage reflection after tests: Instead of placing all the emphasis on the grade on a test, encourage them to discuss what they learned and wrote on the test, what they struggled with in particular, and which preparation strategies appeared most or least effective. This not only helps to foster learning but also reduces the potential anxiety around future tests.
A final note for parents and caregivers
Children often take cues from the adults around them. When we approach tests with calm, curiosity, and perspective, children are more likely to do the same. Supporting a child with test anxiety isn’t about removing all stress; it’s about helping them feel capable, supported, and resilient in the face of challenge. With understanding, patience, and the right tools, children can learn that anxiety doesn’t have to stop them from doing their best. Over time, those skills extend far beyond the classroom.
References:
https://www.anxietycanada.com/sites/default/files/Test_Anxiety_Booklet.pdf
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/social-sciences/test-anxiety
https://www.colorado.edu/health/blog/test-anxiety
https://www.heretohelp.bc.ca/workbook/test-anxiety
https://learningcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/tackling-test-anxiety/