Causes of Test Anxiety

Studies affirm that there is not one singular cause of test-anxiety. Expectations, high-stakes, and self-perception can exert significant influence on ones’ performance during tests. In an increasingly competitive job market, students are more and more burdened with the expectations. In many ways, these expectations can be both internal and external; students often internalize societal pressures. Similarly, the turn towards privatization in education has put schools and universities in competition with one another for students. Scores from high-stakes tests are used to rank institutions, which in turn places greater emphasis on standardization, memorization, and competition—none of which contribute to healthy academic culture. Structural socioeconomic inequalities also contribute to test-anxiety, as low-income students are more vulnerable to external stressors, lack meaningful institutional support, and are therefore more likely to experience test-anxiety than their wealthier counterparts.

Solutions for Overcoming Test Anxiety

When it comes to test anxiety, one of the best solutions is creating a sense of preparedness. If you feel you have done all you can to pass the exam, chances are you will be more at ease when the time comes to show off what you’ve learned. Give yourself adequate time before the exam to review all testing materials and retain as much information as possible. Create a study guide as a sort of security blanket you can refer to when you get frustrated or feel uneasy about the material. Solo-studying is great but having a study group of peers from the same class can be motivating and decrease chances of procrastination (which we all fall victim too from time to time). Just because you take exams alone doesn’t mean you have to prepare for them alone! Increased social interactions between your peers and even you professor can help decrease anxiety levels as you feel more in tune with the class and relieve social pressures. 

Once you’ve done all you can to prepare, it’s time to create the right atmosphere and mindset heading into the exam. Try steering clear of caffeine until after the exam since it may increase or even cause anxiousness. That being said, make sure you get a good night’s rest to keep your brain sharp for the next day. Try using aromatherapy and/or music to help relieve stress and calm your senses. Don’t forget to maintain a positive attitude knowing you’ve done all you could to ace the exam. If you’ve done all these steps and still feel overwhelming test anxiety, try visiting your school’s counseling center to find a tailored plan to help calm your nerves. Good luck!

Test Anxiety Consequences

Test anxiety can overpower an individual’s ability to effectively perform mentally and physically. When test anxiety successfully maneuvers a person’s thinking ability, detrimental consequences are bound to take place that may lead to an unfavorable journey in life. Test anxiety brings a plethora of deleterious consequences when it is not properly resolved. In Daniel Goleman’s book entitled ‘’Emotional Intelligence,’’ he mentions that test anxiety is when ‘’the mental resources expended on one cognitive task—-the worrying—-simply detract from the resources available for processing other information…’’ which means to describe the idea that the time spent worrying is time wasted from not being able to be mentally present and tackle the adversities at hand. When test anxiety is not dealt with properly, the effects from the repetitive negative mindset can have a rippling effect into that individual’s quality of life. Living with excessive test anxiety can lead to an even worse performance during academic challenges. This negative setup can lead to future consequences such as not being able to graduate on time or graduate at all, and low career aspirations. If taken lightly, test anxiety can manipulate a person’s life by living in the constant fear of failing and no personal growth.

Test Anxiety Solutions

Test anxiety can overpower an individual’s ability to effectively perform mentally and physically. When test anxiety successfully maneuvers a person’s thinking ability, detrimental consequences are bound to take place that may lead to an unfavorable journey in life. Test anxiety brings a plethora of deleterious consequences when it is not properly resolved. In Daniel Goleman’s book entitled ‘’Emotional Intelligence,’’ he mentions that test anxiety is when ‘’the mental resources expended on one cognitive task—-the worrying—-simply detract from the resources available for processing other information…’’ which means to describe the idea that the time spent worrying is time wasted from not being able to be mentally present and tackle the adversities at hand. When test anxiety is not dealt with properly.

Individual Narrative

Anxiety is probably something we can all understand and have experienced. But everyone experiences different types of Anxiety and different degrees of it. I think even the way a person experiences anxiety can differ from time to time. The way I experience Anxiety varies as well. There were times where I would find whatever is causing me stress making its way into my dreams. What would Freud say about this? And there were times where I was thinking while sleeping. Is that even possible? What level of anxiety would someone have to hit to be able to fall asleep thinking, continue thinking while sleeping and wake up continuing the thought ? But with time I learned that this anxiety was harmful for me and I started to do my research to figure out how to deal with it. I did meditation for a while which helped a great deal, I also took walks with some relaxing music. I also told myself to stop thinking and stressing about whatever is causing me anxiety, and believe it or not it worked. You are what you believe, want and think.