Let’s talk about test anxiety and all that goes along with it…
I’m sure we’ve all experienced anxiety and nervousness when going in to take a test. Some anxiety in this situation is normal and actually makes you prepare better for the test and, in the end, perform better. When anxiety while testing reaches an extent where the person is unable to concentrate and recall information they have studied it is considered “test anxiety”. When the student feels this anxiety becoming stronger during the test it causes them to have even more distress and to not perform well. This was me in college so I feel all you guys out there. From my personal experience, my test anxiety began to get severe the night before the test even though I knew I had been preparing for many days ahead. I would be unable to get a good night’s rest and would wake up early with the test on my mind. Going into the test I would always think about how bad it would be if I did not do well—when honestly nothing bad was really going to happen. When taking the test, I would have the basic symptoms of test anxiety: inability to concentrate and the inability to recall the information that I had studied. From here I would spiral and experience tremors and trouble breathing. This never happened in high school but the stress of undergrad and trying to get into a great graduate program made each test and quiz a monster to tackle.
Test anxiety can range from moderate to severe. Moderate symptoms include having trouble concentrating and having trouble recalling information. Many people can experience this level of test anxiety and still do well. On the other hand, severe test anxiety can lead to severe “physical, behavioral, cognitive, and emotional symptoms” such as trouble breathing, dizziness, diarrhea, and full on panic attacks.
For those of you who experience test anxiety, you may wonder where this all stems from. As many medical conditions go, it can be a combination of things. You could have failed a test in the past and you’re fearful that it might happen again, you ran out of time to study and so you feel unprepared, or maybe you’re just afraid of failure and are putting too much pressure on yourself. The good news is that this is treatable and so don’t suffer when there are tips and tricks to help overcome it. These include making sure you’re prepared, get rid of the negative thoughts, get enough sleep the night before, breath deeply and take it one question at a time, and, finally, realize that we’re not perfect and have peace in knowing you did your best. If these tips do not work well and you feel medication or counseling may be necessary, seek it out! Test anxiety is so common, especially among us millennials. Colleges are recognizing that this generation is comfortable talking about their anxiety so many resources are available if you chose to use them.
Okay, everyone. Take a deep breath together. We can do it!
Good luck on your next test!
Cherry, K. (2019, March 11). What Is Test Anxiety? Retrieved June 26, 2019, from https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-test-anxiety-2795368
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