6 Research-Backed Ways to Ease Test Anxiety

Feeling nervous before an exam is normal, and a little arousal can even sharpen performance. Test anxiety is different: worry strong enough that a student who knows the material can't show it. Physical symptoms such as a racing heart, nausea and a blank mind are common, as are avoidance and procrastination beforehand.

Several simple techniques have been tested in classrooms and labs.

1. Practice retrieving, not rereading. Testing yourself with flashcards or practice questions builds memory more than rereading notes, and it also makes the real test feel familiar. In a 2014 survey led by cognitive scientist Pooja Agarwal, most middle and high school students who used regular practice quizzes said it made them less nervous about tests.
2. Write the worries down. In a 2011 study published in Science, psychologists Gerardo Ramirez and Sian Beilock had anxious students spend 10 minutes writing about their feelings just before an exam. Their scores improved compared with students who sat quietly, apparently because writing freed up working memory that worry was using.
3. Reframe the nerves. In a 2010 experiment by Jeremy Jamieson, students told that a racing heart can help performance scored higher on GRE math practice questions than a comparison group. Treating arousal as energy rather than danger seems to change how it affects thinking.
4. Slow the breathing. A few minutes of slow breathing, with the exhale longer than the inhale, calms the body's stress response. It's easy to do in the exam room without anyone noticing.
5. Sleep the night before. Late-night cramming trades away the sleep the brain uses to consolidate what was learned.
6. Have a plan for blanks. Skip a question that won't come, answer the easy ones first, and return later. Knowing what you'll do when you get stuck reduces the panic when it happens.

On the day

Eat a normal breakfast, arrive early enough to avoid rushing, and avoid last-minute conversations with classmates who are panicking. Once the paper is in front of you, read through the whole test before starting so nothing comes as a surprise, and note the time available for each section. If anxiety spikes mid-test, putting the pen down for a few slow breaths and then going back to a question you can answer is usually enough to reset.

What tends to make it worse

• All-night cramming, which reduces memory and increases anxiety the next day.
• Large amounts of caffeine or energy drinks, which add to the jittery, racing feeling.
• Comparing answers right after the test, which tends to feed worry about the next one.
• Catastrophic self-talk such as "If I fail this, my future is ruined." Writing down a more realistic version can help.

Younger children and math anxiety

Anxiety about math in particular can begin in the early school years. A 2015 study in Psychological Science, led by Erin Maloney with Sian Beilock, found that first and second graders whose parents were anxious about math learned less math over the school year when those parents helped frequently with homework. The researchers suggested parents avoid saying things like "I was never good at math either" and focus on curiosity and effort.

Signs it may be more than ordinary nerves

• Physical symptoms such as stomachaches or headaches on most school mornings.
• Avoiding school or refusing to attend on test days.
• Panic attacks during or before exams.
• Persistent worry that spreads beyond tests to other parts of life.

How parents and teachers can help

Focus on preparation and effort rather than the grade, and avoid adding pressure in the final days before a test. Accommodations such as extra time or a quieter room are available for students with documented anxiety disorders or learning differences. If anxiety is severe, affects other parts of life or leads a student to avoid school, a school counselor or doctor can assess it. Anxiety disorders are among the most common mental health conditions in young people and respond well to treatment.