Way To Overcome Exam Fears This Spring

It’s a common experience for kids and young adults: getting nervous before the big test in school. After all, tests are the way we prove we know things. And the grades we get on them partly determine our life opportunities.

Lisa Lawrence, MSW, a licensed clinical social worker at OSF HealthCare, says test anxiety can impact all ages. She’s sharing some ways to cope and walk away with that A+.

Causes and symptoms

First, Lawrence breaks down why test anxiety happens.

“People maybe had a negative test experience in the past. They might be connecting test performance with their own self esteem. They may have fear of failure or a desire for perfection,” Lawrence explains.

In the days and hours leading up to a test, these people could experience increased heart rate, difficulty breathing, dizziness, difficulty concentrating, forgetfulness and nervousness. Think the “butterflies in the stomach” feeling, Lawrence says.

“Your brain might be interpreting the test as a threat. So your body’s reacting in a way that’s ‘fight or flight.’ Or maybe you freeze and forget everything you’re trying to recall,” Lawrence adds.

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Coping skills

Grounding techniques are a top way to quell test anxiety, Lawrence says. Grounding refers to finding peace and being in the moment. It’s often paired with deep breathing. Techniques include:

• 5-4-3-2-1: Look around the room. List five things you see, four things you feel, three things you hear, two things you smell and one thing you taste.
  
• 3-3-3: Look for three things you see and hear, and wiggle three parts of your body.
  
• 2-4-6-8-10: List two positive things about yourself, take four deep breaths, imagine six of your favorite things, tense and relax eight muscles and name 10 things in your room with the same color.

What about the days before the test when you’re studying?

“Allow yourself to ‘chunk’ the studying. Instead of cramming the morning of or the day before the test, sketch out a week,” Lawrence suggests. “Set a timer. Give yourself 20 minutes. Do as much studying as you can in that time. Then, do another thing that might nourish you.”

Parents and teachers

The people giving the tests can make it easier on the pupils, too. Lawrence says step one is to promote a culture of self-care. Try incorporating grounding exercises or fun activities into your class or nighttime routine with your kids. Lawrence likes this coloring book from the National Institute of Mental Health. Or, decorate your classroom with affirmation statements to give students confidence. And of course, good eating, sleeping and exercise habits go a long way toward success in the classroom. You can’t do well on a test if you’re tired or hungry.

Learn more

Read more about mental health resources available at OSF that can help build good test-taking strategies. Some resources, like behavioral health navigators and support groups at hospitals like the one Lawrence works at, are available even if you are not an OSF patient.

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