Helping Students with Test Anxiety
Test anxiety manifests as a combination of physiological, cognitive, and emotional responses that can severely impair student performance. Many students mention blanking on tests, but some also may experience racing thoughts and physical symptoms like rapid heartbeat and nausea, even when well-prepared for an exam. The anxiety can lead to a cycle of poor performance, increased stress, and decreased self-efficacy, potentially affecting their academic trajectory and career choices. Studies show that students with high test anxiety typically score 12 percentage points lower than their less anxious peers (Cassady & Johnson, 2002).
WHAT STUDENTS CAN DO
Rebecca Sturgill—former Director of Student Academic Success for Longwood, and currently in the same role for the Honors College—has often met with underprepared students having test anxiety. Her recommendations can help any student who faces this challenge.
Strong Test Preparation
Rebecca suggests students focus first on preparation. Faculty can encourage students to start in week 1 (or start now) to build their own study resources with these steps.
Set up a group study that meets once a week. To prepare for the meeting, each person should:
- review the week’s notes and materials to pull out 5-10 topics that they believe the teacher might ask them to explain, know, or do.
- Write a question/problem/essay prompt for each topic.
Then, students meet together as a group to:
- Check to see if their lists of chosen topics agree and discuss how to change them.
- Challenge themselves to answer/practice answering question prompts.
- Every three weeks, review the cumulative list of topics that might appear on the exam.
WHAT INSTRUCTORS CAN DO
Before, During, and After a Test, Communicate Expectations Clearly. Uncertainty about study and test expectations significantly contributes to anxiety:
- Offer discipline-specific study tips.
- When possible, offer review sessions or practice tests.
- Provide a test format in advance (e.g., multiple-choice, essay, problem-solving).
- Explain how the test aligns with learning objectives.
- Explain time limits and which resources are permitted. You might consider allowing a cheat sheet, as evidence shows these can reinforce learning.
Offering tips to everyone to reduce test anxiety. You might mention:
- Eat well and get enough sleep before a test or exam. Work out if that helps.
- Don’t talk about the test outside of the classroom right before you take it.
- Remember you are being assessed on what you know, not on achieving perfection.
- Deep breathing can help when you find yourself wound up during testing.
- Do not change your answers unless there is overwhelming evidence of a mistake.
If you deem it necessary after conferring with a student, you can refer those with high test anxiety to Longwood resources for help:
- You might send them to the Tutoring Center’s website, which has information about test anxiety, or have them set up a meeting with its generalist tutors.
- You could also email the Care Team (careteam@longwood.edu), who may refer your student to support staff (Maria Hamilton, Sarah Luongo, and Beth Mottley), the Accessibility Resources Office, or the Counseling and Psychological Services Office.
QUICK RESOURCES FOR YOU AND YOUR STUDENTS:
- The Mayo Clinic has recommendations written directly to students for dealing with text anxiety: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/generalized-anxiety-disorder/expert-answers/test-anxiety/faq-20058195
- A video of tips about the physiology of reducing test stress: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RZ86OB9hw4
- A video of therapist-recommended strategies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOf6QthSiWw
- PsychCentral has an outline of 5 techniques that work for students: https://psychcentral.com/anxiety/overcoming-test-anxiety#test-anxiety-tips-before.