Beating Your Test Anxiety

Writing a test or an exam can be incredibly anxiety provoking. And that’s not exclusive to tests in an academic setting, I remember feeling anxious for my driving test too! While that anxiety you might feel before an exam is a common experience for many students, and is totally normal, it isn’t a great feeling. If you’re looking for ways to beat your test anxiety or learn how to manage it, you’ve come to the right place.

Before diving into how you can manage your test anxiety, it’s important to acknowledge where that anxiety is coming from and understand it. Believe it or not, anxiety is not the bad guy (at least not entirely). Excessive amounts of anxiety are not good for you, and can have a negative impact on your physical and mental health. But a small amount of anxiety or stress can actually stimulate you and provide you with motivation. If you find your anxiety is interfering with your ability to function, and is not helping to motivate you, that is a sign to use some coping strategies and talk to someone you trust.

When it comes to test anxiety specifically, it often stems for a few different reasons. A common reason why someone may experience test anxiety is a fear of getting a disappointing grade. This may be from pressure you put on yourself, pressure you feel from family members, or pressure your peers may unintentionally create. I’ll be the first person to acknowledge that getting a disappointing grade sucks. I remember getting a D in my first year psychology class and thinking “Maybe I’m not cut out for this” and “I’m not as smart as I thought I was”. But that could not be further from the truth.

Sometimes we associate good grades with self-worth. We believe that if we don’t get good grades, we are not worthy. I know I’ve felt that way before, but that is far from the truth. Grades are only one aspect of success. One bad test, or even a bad final grade does not make you any less worthy. When we connect our self-worth to good grades, we unintentionally heighten test anxiety.

Understanding your test anxiety and acknowledging where it comes from is just one step to overcoming it. While its helpful to know where these anxieties are coming from, that alone will not help you beat or manage it. There are things you can do ahead of time, and things you can do in the moment to cope with test anxiety.

Proactive Steps

If you want to try and beat test anxiety, you need to get ahead of it. Don’t wait until a few days before the test to start taking steps to set yourself up for success. Here’s a few things you can do throughout the semester to be proactive about your test anxiety:

·       Talk to your Instructors. If you have questions, or need clarification on expectations, or concepts that you are learning, ask your instructor! Your instructor can clarify anything you are uncertain of, and help you feel more confident in what you are learning throughout the year. You might feel nervous reaching out to your instructor for support, if so, consider stopping by their office hours –this time is dedicated to students to come and ask questions.

·       Establish good, consistent study habits. Having good and consistent study habits is a great way to get ahead of test anxiety. Everyone studies differently, so it may take some time to learn what study techniques work best for you. Using the strategies that work for you consistently will help you feel more confident ahead of any test. If you’re not sure where to start with study strategies, consider checking out the ‘Study Skills for Success’ series on ThryvSpace, or check if your institution offers any study skill supports!

·       Talk to someone. You don’t have to carry your test anxiety alone. Whether it is a peer, or a counsellor on campus, talking to someone about your feelings can provide a release, and set you up with tools to cope in the moment.

·       Connect with Accessible Learning. There is no one way to learn, we are all different, and our brains absorb information differently! Consider connecting with Accessible Learning Services on your campus to see what services and supports are available to you.

Coping in the Moment

You might use all of the proactive strategies mentioned above and still experience test anxiety. It is completely normal to feel anxious about an upcoming test. In these cases, you’ll want to employ coping strategies to help manage your test anxiety.

·       Getting Good Sleep. Trust me, I know this is a cliché, but hear me out. Sleep is a critical part of the learning process. While you are sleeping, concepts that you learned or studied are being transferred from your short-term memory, to your long term-memory. Meaning, while you are sleeping, your brain is working on storing what you have learned. Ideally, this is a habit you’ll want to have in place throughout the semester, but especially those few days leading up to a test.

·       Deep Breathing. Deep breathing is a strategy you can use at any time when you are feeling test anxiety, no matter where you are. There are various types of deep breathing strategies you can use, this article on Deep Breathing teaches you 5 different strategies you can try. My personal favourite is box breathing – the act of counting my breaths helps take my mind off the anxiety and refocus my brain to keep studying or writing a test.

·       Using Affirmations. If you find you associate your self-worth with grades, or generally notice that you get caught in anxious thinking traps, affirmations or positive self-talk can be incredibly helpful. You can use this as a daily technique, or as needed. Leading up to a test, you might find it helpful to tell yourself “I am more than my grades” or “I am smart, and capable”. You might not believe these statements at first, but when you challenge negative thought processes, you are actively retraining your brain to think more positively – that’s a win-win!

Let’s be real – test anxiety doesn’t just magically disappear after taking a test. There is often still some anxiety present while you are waiting to learn the outcome of the test. Deep breathing and affirmations are great strategies to cope post-exam too. And don’t forget to celebrate yourself! Being a student is hard work, but you are doing it, and you are capable.

By: Alex Grimley-Pannozzo