Test Anxiety

Let’s talk about tests.

As a teacher, I know testing/assessing my students is part of the deal. As a special education teacher, I have mixed feelings about the types of tests I have to give. I know that the state and school district need a way to hold schools accountable for the education we are providing. However, I don’t think everything should be measured off of one test on one day. I remind my students and parents that this is just one way to find out what the student has learned. It’s not “everything” to me and they should think of the test as just one measure of their knowledge. We teachers take so many other things into consideration when assessing our students.

For students with test anxiety, telling them they will not move to the next grade level if they don’t do well is not a motivator. It just instills more fear and more anxiety. Instead, try talking with them about the test beforehand and boosting up their self-esteem. Even after pep talks, many students still get anxiety.

Test anxiety is more than nerves. Basic nervousness can give a student just the right amount of adrenaline they need to help them perform better on a test. But test anxiety goes further. They may have too much adrenaline in their system and this will cause an excessive amount of fear around the test. Maybe they have a history of not doing well on tests, maybe they have missed a lot of school lately and don’t feel prepared, or maybe they’re afraid of getting a bad grade. Whatever the reason, they are more than just stressed and more than merely nervous.

Symptoms of Test Anxiety: Sweating, shaking, racing heart, nausea, fidgeting, or outright avoidance.

Ways to help calm those anxieties: Make sure the student is as prepared as possible, practice positive self talk, get a good night’s sleep (yes, this actually helps), basic needs (like hunger and thirst) are taken care of, and take calming deep breaths.