A Few Helpful Routines that help to Ease Test Anxiety


Many a student will have felt physical symptoms such as headaches, nausea, faintness and feeling too hot or too cold before a test. Test anxiety may also manifest itself as emotional stress such as crying, feeling irritable as well as being easily frustrated. A major problem with test anxiety is the effect it has on a persons thinking abilities which may cause the persons mind to go blank or result in many thoughts racing through the mind, all of which are very hard to control.

There are a number of ways to counteract test anxiety and these include being well prepared for the test, self-test oneself, maintaining a healthy lifestyle which means eating nutritious food, getting enough sleep and exercising regularly.

Preparation is Key

As the exam time approaches, one should start by anticipating the exam and being well prepared in more ways than one Before going to bed, one may also organize everything that is needed for the exam and this includes having pens, rulers, erasers, calculators etc., ready. One should also double check the venue of the exam as well as the time it is to begin and setting an alarm clock and getting a good nights sleep ahead of the exam will all surely contribute positively in alleviating test anxiety.

In case a person feels excessive test anxiety he or she should spend a few minutes calming himself and this may include stretching the arms and legs and then relaxing them. Taking a few deep breaths also helps and one may also do some positive internal self-talking and in case the exam is more difficult than anticipated, one should focus and try to do ones best.

Once the exam is over one may treat oneself to help ease the test anxiety. Remember that everyone will have experienced some level of nervousness before a test and a little bit of nervousness may actually be helpful. It is only when the level of nervousness or tension becomes overwhelming that one may conclude that the person is suffering from test anxiety.

Test anxiety is that feeling of nervousness that impairs a persons ability to perform normally and is really a type of performance anxiety which is the feeling that a person experiences when he or she needs to perform and when there is pressure to do well. Test anxiety may result in the person having butterflies in the stomach, stomachaches, or a tension headache.

One should also be clear that not doing well in a test is not the same as test anxiety, which is something that impairs a person from performing his normal routine.

An anxiety disorder may make you feel anxious most of the time, without any apparent reason.