What are the Signs of Test Anxiety?
The symptoms of test anxiety can vary considerably and range from mild to severe. Some students experience only mild symptoms of test anxiety and are still able to do fairly well on exams. Other students are nearly incapacitated by their anxiety, performing dismally on tests or even experiencing panic attacks before or during exams.
Physical symptoms of test anxiety include sweating, shaking, rapid heart beat, dry mouth, fainting and nausea. Milder cases of test anxiety can cause a sense of "butterflies" in the stomach, while more severe cases can actually cause students to become physically ill.
Cognitive and behavioral symptoms can include fidgeting or outright avoidance of testing situations. In some cases, test anxiety can become so severe that students will drop out of school in order to avoid the source of their fear. Substance abuse can also occur, since many students attempt to self-treat their anxiety by taking "downers" such as prescription medications and alcohol. Many people with test anxiety report "blanking out" answers to the test, even though they thoroughly studied the information and were sure that they know the answers to the questions. Negative self-talk, trouble concentrating on the test and racing thoughts are also common cognitive symptoms of test anxiety.
Emotional symptoms of test anxiety can include depression, low self-esteem, anger and a feeling of hopelessness. Students often feel helpless to change their situation, or belittle and berate themselves about their symptoms and poor test performance.
Fortunately, there are steps that students can take to alleviate these unpleasant and oftentimes harmful symptoms. By learning more about the possible causes of their test anxiety, students can begin to look for helpful solutions. anxiety and depression are same in nature.
Students who feel the pressure may exhibit it through problems sleeping or eating, showing general nervousness, or attempting to avoid school or schoolwork. Obsessing over a test, frenzied studying, an inability to focus, or experiencing a sensation of the mind “going blank” during a test are also common. What Strategies Can Lessen Test Anxiety? Here are some ideas that may help your child: document.getElementById(‘adsense_placeholder_2’).innerHTML = document.getElementById(‘adsense_ad_2_hidden’).innerHTML; Before the Test • Know the test. Check with the teacher to make sure you know what material will be covered, and that you have all the notes and other materials you will need to adequately prepare. • Implement an effective study plan. Space study sessions out over several days rather than cramming the night before. Use a variety of study strategies, and enlist the help of parents, siblings, or friends to quiz you on trouble spots. • Use practice tests. Construct practice tests cover
