Study Strategies to Reduce Test Anxiety

Test anxiety is when a student excessively worries about doing well on a test. This type of anxiety is more than the average anxiety all students may experience from time to time. Severe text anxiety can become a major hindrance on test performance and cause extreme nervousness and memory lapses, among other symptoms.

Recognizing Test Anxiety

• Freezing up 
• Panicking 
• Being easily distracted 
• Physical effects; sweating, shortness of breath 
• Lack of interest in test or topic 

How to Combat Text Anxiety Being well prepared for a test is the best way to reduce test anxiety.

1. Space out your studying over a few days or weeks, and continually review class material. Don’t wait until the night before to try to learn all the material.
2. Try to maintain a positive attitude while preparing for the test and during the test.
3. Exercising for a few days before the test and throughout the semester will help reduce stress.
4. Get a good night’s sleep during the entire semester and before the test.
5. Stay relaxed. If you begin to get nervous take a few deep breaths slowly to relax yourself and then get back to work.
6. Read the directions slowly and carefully.
7. If you don’t understand the directions on the test, ask the teacher to explain them to you.
8. Skim through the test so that you have a good idea how to pace yourself.
9. Write down important formulas, facts, definitions and/or keywords in the margin first so you won’t worry about forgetting them.
10. Do the simple questions first to help build up your confidence for the harder questions.
11. Don’t worry about how fast other people finish their test; just concentrate on your own test.
12. If you don’t know a question, skip it. Go back to it later if you have time, and remember that you don’t have to always get every question right to do well on the test.
13. Focus on the question at hand; don’t let your mind wander onto other things.