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How to Ease Test-Taking Anxiety in Your Students

by Krista Wolfe

When it comes to getting good grades, stress and anxiety definitely impact the overall success of a student. Many students are able to do their homework, participate in class and comprehend the material-but they might freeze up and perform poorly when the time comes to take the test.

We get it. It's definitely normal and healthy to feel a certain level of anxiety before a test, but when this anxiety affects a student's performance, it becomes a much bigger problem. Luckily, there are a variety of learning strategies that can help students ease high levels of test-taking anxiety.

Student Learning Styles

Test-taking anxiety is a type of performance anxiety. One way to help students overcome this type of anxiety is to help them build confidence in themselves and their abilities. A great way to begin this process is to teach them proper preparation techniques. Some students are visual learners, some are audio learners, and others learn by doing. It's important to acknowledge that not all students learn the same way. Reinforcing students based on their strengths is a great way to improve their confidence in learning. Audio learners may enhance their learning by reading their notes out loud. Visual learners may excel using charts and graphs.

Tackling Time Constraints

One of the biggest factors in test-taking anxiety is time. Most tests are timed, creating a feeling of dread in some students. Many students focus too much on how much time is remaining, and their performance suffers. Learning proper time management skills will not only help students perform successfully while taking tests but also with study skills and other basic factors in life. Cramming the night before a test doesn't compare to the amount of preparedness developed by studying over time. Many students perform better on tests when they study more regularly. The longer they read and understand the material, the more confidence they will have in the information retained.

Have you ever worked your way thoroughly and knowledgably through a test only to run out of time when you still have two essays to go? Mastering time management skills is essential to taking tests of any kind. If you know you excel at answering certain types of questions, you should allocate more time to those that require more effort. For example, if you’re excellent at writing essays and struggle with multiple-choice questions, you should spend more time reviewing your progress. Just remember that sometimes anxiety is a habit that can cloud your judgment, and there are ways to overcome it.

Let Students Know They Can Ask For Help

Additionally, students should always be encouraged to ask for help when they need it. Admitting weaknesses is a necessary step toward improvement. There are plenty of resources out there available that help illustrate the variety of test-taking techniques. Check out Quill’s list of test-taking resources to help students alleviate their test-taking anxiety. Just remember: never go into a test with an empty stomach or a clouded headed! Take a deep breath and relax.

Krista Wolfe is a marketing project manager for Quill.com where she writes to help small businesses, teachers and healthcare professionals make more informed decisions on office essentials. She also writes on our new community blog, Café Quill, about a wide range of business matters such as leadership, productivity and work-life balancing. Krista lives in Chicago, and you can find her on Google+ or LinkedIN.