Test Anxiety

In all likelihood students have worried about exams and grades as long as teachers have been administering them. The fear and anxiety associated with new challenge is normal and for many a fleeting sensation. For many other students however, such fear and anxiety can be problematic. It can sabotage the best efforts to succeed and undermine all of the positive elements of scholarly pursuit and the university life in general. The following information is provided in an effort to help you reduce the negative effects of the stress associated with test taking and enhance your college experience. So, just what is “test anxiety” and what can be done to combat it?

According to Holland (1980), "test anxiety" describes the emotional reactions that some students have to exams. It stems from fear. This fear is normal and understandable. Your grades (how well you perform on an exam) will be a major determinant of your academic success. It should be remembered however that testing and grading is an imperfect measure of your intellect or your ability. You are rarely as dumb or as smart as your grades might indicate. When you overemphasize the importance of grades or doubt your own abilities you can become overly fearful of failure. Such fear or “test anxiety” can often interfere with your ability to succeed.

Holland (1980) identified three components of test anxiety. You may develop “butterflies”, sweaty palms, nausea, aches, dry mouth, or palpitations of the heart. These unpleasant sensations are evidence of the physical component of test anxiety. You may also experience sensations of fear, dread, nervousness, and panic; aspects of the emotional component of test anxiety. Finally, (and of real concern for a prospective test-taker) you may experience difficulty staying focused, become easily distracted or convinced of certain failure, as well as problems with your memory and attention. These frustrating experiences are evidence of the mental or cognitive components of test anxiety.

RELAX! One thing that really does help to reduce all of these components of test anxiety is learning how to relax. Of course you may say, “But I can’t relax! I’m too anxious!”. If you can move past this self-fulfilling prophecy and take the time to learn some simple strategies you can learn how to relax with relative ease. In fact with practice most students can learn to reach a relaxed state quickly and with little effort. This is a great tool for you to master and utilize before and during examinations. Here is all you need to do:

1. Get comfortable in your chair - slouch down if that helps.
2. Tighten, then relax different muscle groups or your body, one group at a time. Start with your feet, then move up your body to your neck and face.
3. Close your eyes.
4. Begin breathing slowly and deeply.
5. Focus your attention on your breath going in and out.
6. Each time you breathe out, say "relax" to yourself.

BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE! In addition to the six simple steps to relaxation you also need to develop effective ways to change your thinking about tests. One reason you experience test anxiety is because you have convinced yourself that you will not do well. You have learned to only focus on all the potentially negative aspects of tests and exams. You need to learn to follow the advice of the old song and, “accentuate the positive”! It may sound corny but it really does work. You can learn to reduce your negative and worrisome thoughts that provoke test anxiety. The trick is to become a bit more self-aware. Pay attention to those negative, depressing, or irrelevant things you think and say about tests and your ability. Hear what you are thinking and saying and decide to turn it around. Decide to begin to practice more positive ways of thinking about your ability regarding test taking. This will help reduce your anxiety!

I was able to find this great list of positive and negative thoughts on a UCLA web-page. The folks there have generated this comparative list and you can use it to help recognize negative thinking and develop positive alternatives. Feel free to e-mail your own alternatives to me (ghoefling@psych.udel.edu) and I will try to share them with your fellow students. Good luck!

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