By Andrew Warner
It’s normal for students to feel nervous before or during a test. But when test time consistently brings symptoms like a headache, shortness of breath or difficulty concentrating, it may indicate something more serious: test anxiety.
Test anxiety is fairly common, with researchers estimating that somewhere between 25-40 percent of students in the U.S. experience it. And certain tests can be more anxiety-inducing than others – one study found that elementary school students experienced higher levels of test anxiety during standardized tests compared to regular classroom assessments.
If you suspect that your child is one of the many struggling with test anxiety, here are some important things to keep in mind to help manage it.
How to Recognize Test Anxiety
Often, children with test anxiety worry about receiving a poor grade or doing worse than their peers. Research shows that test anxiety can interfere with a student’s performance – and that can ultimately lower their self-esteem, which tends to be correlated with academic success.
Francyne Zeltser, clinical director of psychological services at the Manhattan Psychology Group in New York, notes that test anxiety is a fairly subjective experience, and not all children will experience exactly the same symptoms.
“Very often, we see the physical symptoms of anxiety: the racing heart, the sweaty palms, the tense body, the child might be hyperventilating,” she says. “Other times, you’ll see more of the silent suffering, where … when you look at them, they might just appear to be distracted, but inside they’re struggling.”
Helping kids manage test anxiety
Although test anxiety might be more evident in the classroom than it home, experts agree that parents can play a role in helping their child manage it. Zeltser says younger children are particularly resilient, as they are still getting accustomed to test-taking. As a result, teaching children healthy ways to cope with test anxiety at an early age can go a long way.
Here are some ways to support your child:
Focus on time and stress management skills
Experts agree that time and stress management skills help make your child feel more prepared – and less anxious – when it’s time to take a test.
Many children with test anxiety fear that they won’t be able to complete the test in time, so for these kids, focusing on time management skills may help. This can start with test preparation. Experts say working with planners and calendars, and breaking up large projects into smaller tasks, can be a good way to help students feel prepared in the lead-up to the test.
At exam time, parents can encourage students to move on from difficult problems and come back later in the exam, once they’ve finished all the other, easier questions.
Avoid overemphasizing good grades
Children with test anxiety may express a fear of disappointing their parents. Experts say parents may reinforce that fear.
For example, If your child comes to you and seems upset about a test grade, Zeltser says parents can reframe these thoughts by telling the child that it’s more important to try hard than it is to get a perfect score on every exam.
Communicate with educators
Teachers are likely to notice test anxiety earlier than parents are, since test anxiety tends to be more obvious during the actual test than at home.
Talk to your child’s teachers to see if they’ve noticed anything off about your child’s behavior during test time. Things like going to the bathroom frequently or shaky hands during exams could be signs of test anxiety that parents may never see.
Know when to seek professional help
If you’ve tried all of these techniques and nothing seems to help, Sheehan says it might be worthwhile to visit a therapist.
While not all cases of test anxiety will require a specialist’s intervention, she says it’s important to look at the intensity and frequency of test anxiety and how it evolves over time.
(Courtesy: US News)
