Students know the pressure of taking tests, they know how scary it is when they don’t know the answer to a question, and they are familiar with feeling of panic when they are unprepared for a test. This is called test anxiety.
In a survey, 63% of students said that the reason they get test anxiety is because they already have a low grade in that class. Though, 52% of the students who took the survey said they get test anxiety because they panic too much under the pressure of test taking.
In an article written by Mr. Thompson, the Director of Counseling Services at Williston, he says, “A certain degree of anxiety during a performance situation can be a good thing…When the level of anxiety goes beyond a certain point, however, it has the opposite effect, resulting in feelings of mental paralysis and inhibiting performance.”
In the survey, the classes that caused the most test anxiety were science and math classes. Whether it was physics or pre-calculus, the majority of answers remained within the areas of science and math. The classes that caused the least amount of test anxiety, according to Williston students are electives.
Williston sophomore Sophia Carellas says, “I think electives are generally less stressful because not only are they one trimester classes, but the subjects are more interesting and the work is not as intense as a regular class.”
Even when students prepare for tests, why is that they still struggle. Mr. Thompson answers, “While a lack of preparation is a major cause of test anxiety, other causes include a feeling that one’s self worth is associated with getting good grades, a history of bad test-taking experiences, and a general fear of failure.”
One of the survey questions asked how students dealt with their test anxiety. A Williston 9th grade Williston student, who wished to remain anonymous, answered, “I tell myself that there are many times I thought I failed and I actually ended up getting an eighty.”
When asked if students have ever passed a test they thought they failed, 79% answered yes.
Another student answered that he drinks lots of water and does breathing exercises. This was a popular answer among Williston students.
Do teachers see their students began to get anxious during their tests? Ms. Rodgers, a psychology teacher at Williston, answers, “I do feel students have increased anxiety around tests. When students find out there is an upcoming test, often they become panicked.”
Mr. Thompson adds, “I think any teacher who suspects that one of his/her students is struggling with test anxiety should talk with that student to see if it’s true, and if so, to explore some possible solutions to the problem.”
11% of Williston students answered to the question asking why they get test anxiety is because their teacher isn’t helpful.
Mr. Thompson notes, “I believe that teachers should be aware that 16-20% of students from either moderate or high levels of test anxiety and that high test anxiety adversely affects working memory, increases mistakes, and leads to lower test scores. In general, I think teachers are ‘open to’ the issue, but I also feel that they can benefit from learning more about it.”
Fortunately, test anxiety is very treatable. Treatments may differ from person to person, such as someone might find comfort in chewing gum while they take a test while others find it easier when they drink water and take deep breaths. Mr. Thompson also suggests that seeing a counselor about this issue is harmless and that the outcome will be very positive.
“Sometimes it makes good sense to encourage that student to talk with a counselor about the problem. It is a very treatable issue,” Mr. Thompson concludes.
Ms. Rodgers adds some helpful information. She says, “Students can cope with test anxiety by trying to maintain their composure and identifying areas of weakness that they may have in the content/material being covered on the test.”
She continues, “When they have identified the areas of weakness they need to study more, I’d recommend they focus on those rather than trying to look big picture immediately. Breaking the test/content/chapter into smaller parts always helps when studying. This is often referred to as ‘chunking’.”
Tests will always be scary to any students, but the anxiety and nervousness that comes along with them are normal. Each student has their own weakness whether it’s an English class or a history course, everyone struggles with tests and that is okay.