7 Signs Your Student Has Test Anxiety and How to Overcome It

Taking a test is a nerve-wracking experience for anyone, but some students experience more than just the usual pretest butterflies.

If your student freezes up, feels overwhelmed, or struggles to focus while taking tests, they might be experiencing test anxiety. But don’t worry! Test anxiety is common and it can be overcome. 

In this article, we’ll dive into what test anxiety is, what causes it, and how to support your student to overcome it.

What is test anxiety?

The American Psychological Association defines test anxiety as “tension and apprehensiveness associated with taking a test, frequently resulting in a decrease in test performance.”

It’s a type of performance anxiety where students feel intense stress, fear, or worry when they think about or take tests. 

While some amount of pre-test jitters is perfectly normal, test anxiety is typically at a level where it becomes debilitating. 

Students with test anxiety may become so nervous that they cannot complete tests. Other times it can interfere with their ability to focus, remember information, and perform well.

Even students who study hard and are well prepared for tests can feel test anxiety. Test anxiety is not about the difficulty of a test, but rather the emotional response to it. 

What causes test anxiety?

Like anxiety more generally, test anxiety is usually caused by a combination of factors. The exact cause of test anxiety differs from student to student and depends on things like their home life, study habits, and personality.  

Some students may feel intense pressure to succeed, while others may struggle with a lack of confidence or past negative experiences. Understanding the root cause can help in finding effective ways to manage it.

One of the most common causes is the fear of failure, where students feel the need to achieve a perfect score to avoid disappointing themselves, parents, or teachers. Past poor performance can also play a role, as students who’ve had bad experiences may begin to associate tests with stress and failure. 

Other factors like feeling unprepared, whether from cramming or not fully understanding the material, can trigger panic. Some students also worry about how others will perceive them. This leads to anxiety due to the fear of judgment by peers or teachers.

Additionally, low self-esteem and perfectionism can make students more vulnerable to test anxiety. Students who tie their self-worth to their grades may feel overwhelming pressure to perform, while perfectionists might worry that even a good result isn’t good enough. 

Test anxiety can also become a self-perpetuating cycle. In this case, the fear of experiencing anxiety during a test becomes the very thing that triggers it.

7 Signs of Test Anxiety

Like the causes of test anxiety, the signs also vary from student to student. For some students, it may be very obvious they’re experiencing test anxiety based on their behavior, while for others, the only sign of test anxiety might be repeated poor performance despite being prepared. 

Regardless, being able to identify these signs is the first step to helping your student manage test anxiety. 

1. Irrational Fear

Some students experience intense fear or even panic attacks before or during a test. As we’ve mentioned, a certain amount of fear is perfectly normal and even healthy, but when it becomes irrational, there’s a good chance your child is dealing with test anxiety. 

2. Physical Symptoms 

It’s normal for students to feel butterflies in their stomachs before a test, but more serious physical symptoms could be a sign of test anxiety. Common physical symptoms of test anxiety include headaches, nausea, a racing heart, or even shortness of breath.

3. Difficulty Concentrating

If your student is spacing out, unable to focus, or constantly losing their place during a test, anxiety might be interfering with their ability to think clearly.

4. Negative Self-Talk

Although you can’t know what’s going on inside your child’s mind, paying attention to what your child says before a test could help you figure out if they’re going through test anxiety.  Statements like “I know I’m going to fail,” or “I’m not smart enough for this,” are common with test anxiety.

5. Low Performance

One of the biggest signs of test anxiety is low performance despite effort. If your child puts in the time to study and prepare for tests but doesn’t get the grades they expect, it’s a good sign test anxiety is keeping them from performing well.

6. Trouble Sleeping

Anxiety often affects sleep patterns. If your child is struggling to fall asleep, stay asleep, or is experiencing frequent nightmares, it could be tied to their worry about upcoming tests.

7. Avoidance

If your child has test anxiety, they may try to avoid situations related to the test. For example, on test day, they may claim they’re feeling sick and ask to stay home from school. Avoidance could also take the form of procrastination when it comes time to study. They may put off studying for an exam because the thought of the test is overwhelming.

How to Overcome Test Anxiety

The good news is that test anxiety can be managed. With the right strategies, students can learn to cope with anxiety and take tests more confidently. 

Here are some strategies to help your student overcome test anxiety:

• Preparing in Advance: Help your student develop a study plan that breaks the material into manageable chunks. Regular, focused study sessions are far more effective than last-minute cramming.
• Positive Self-Talk: Remind your child to challenge negative thoughts with more realistic ones. Instead of “I’m going to fail,” they can say, “I’ve studied hard, and I’ll do my best.”
• Relaxation Techniques: Teaching your student deep breathing for mindfulness exercises can help them stay calm before and during tests. 
• Emphasize Effort: Remind your student that the most important thing is that they do their best. Teaching students not to worry about the grades they receive helps encourage them to focus on what they can control: their effort and preparation. 
• Strategies to Write Tests: There are strategies that students can use while taking tests that can help reduce their anxiety. Examples include first answering questions they’re confident about and breaking down test sections into smaller, more manageable chunks. 
• Debrief After Tests: After tests, have a quick debrief session. Talk about what went well, what didn’t, and areas for improvement for next time. Talking about tests in this way can help students see there’s nothing to be anxious about. 
• Therapy: For more severe test anxiety, you may want to consider therapeutic approaches like cognitive-behavior therapy or psychotherapy. 

Helping Your Student Overcome Test Anxiety

Test anxiety is real but it doesn’t have to be permanent. Learning to spot test anxiety and the exact reasons causing it are crucial to helping your student overcome it. With a little patience, you can help your student become much more confident, not just while taking tests but in life more generally.  

If you’re looking for more ways to support your student’s emotional and academic well-being, consider Summit Learning Charter. We’re a fully accredited, tuition-free online public school for grades K-12 and offer personalized learning strategies and resources tailored to each student’s needs. Reach out today to learn more about how our virtual academy can help your students thrive!