Test anxiety is a response to any situation associated with testing. It may include difficulty calling forth knowledge, cognitive concern over performances (worry) and subjective feelings of stress involving attention to physiological arousal reactions such as increased heart rate, sweaty palms, an ache in the stomach, and dryness of the mouth.

• If I feel anxious during a test, I have test anxiety.

This is not true. Research shows everybody feels anxious during a test. This "anxiety" helps to keep you alert during the test. Did you ever fall asleep during a test? Probably not. People who have test anxiety do not feel any more anxious or experience higher levels of physiological arousal than non-test anxious individuals. Test anxious individuals tend to concentrate on their anxiety or physiological arousal more than non-test anxious individuals.

• If I experience test anxiety, I will do poorly on all my exams.

For the most part this is not true. Research shows that test anxious individuals do not perform more poorly than non-test anxious individuals. The only time a test anxious individual may perform more poorly during exams is if they are spending most of their test taking time concentrating on irrelevant information (worrying) instead of attending to the information on the test. Since full concentration on the test is necessary for peak performance, lower performance may result. If the individual is able to change or stop competing thoughts during an exam, performance should not suffer.

• I’m not as smart as other students if I experience test anxiety.

Actually, research shows that students with test anxiety tend to value academic success more than those who do not have test anxiety. They tend to work harder and in many cases get better grades than those without test anxiety. They interpret the grades, however, as lower than their non-test anxious peers. 

REDUCING TEST ANXIETY

• Research shows that individuals who experience test anxiety may study for tests differently than those who do not experience test anxiety. It may be helpful to get some help with your study skills and test taking skills. This can be provided at the Thomas E. Cook Counseling Center through workshops, informational handouts, or individual appointments with a counselor.

• Changing how you interpret the consequences of your performance on tests may help eliminate some of the worry involved in test anxiety. Failure on one question or one test or even one course will not ruin your life. Look at things more realistically. Think of the number of tests you take over your entire college experience (120 or more). Doing poorly on just one or even 10 will not have too much of an effect on your life. You may want to get the help of a counselor if you are having trouble making these predictions realistically.

• Lowering your autonomic arousal may make it less intrusive and less aversive during tests. You can do this by slowing down your breathing through deep breaths or closing your eyes and thinking of something pleasurable. Visualizing an image has the added advantage of changing what you are thinking about during a test and may help change your negative thoughts to more positive ones. You may be able to label any physiological arousal as positive and not negative, keeping in mind it is normal and desirable in helping you stay alert.

If you would like help with a test anxiety problem, the Thomas E. Cook Counseling Center offers introductory and more comprehensive test anxiety workshops. You can also meet with a counselor individually to work on this problem.