By Pamela Roggeman

Test anxiety is a real problem, affecting 25–40 percent of US students. While test anxiety is common, it’s important to make sure it’s not debilitating. Here are six ways parents and educators can help ease test anxiety in students.

1. Emphasize preparation. Preparation can look different for individuals, but there are a few tips everyone can benefit from:

• Create an organized study plan. Develop a weekly or monthly testing schedule.

• Practice relaxation techniques. Help students learn how to use meditation, visualization, progressive muscle relaxation, diaphragmatic breathing, mindfulness, or yoga to calm themselves.

• Get enough rest. Encourage students to go to bed early and take breaks while studying.

• Eat healthy meals. A balanced diet helps reduce stress levels and improve alertness and readiness for testing.

• Seek more resources. These include everything from testing strategies to test-taking skills.

2. Try to understand their fears. Test anxiety can be rooted in a number of underlying fears, such as:

• the fear of failure or not being good enough;

• past trauma related to school or test-taking;

• depression or other mental health issues;

• performance anxiety and social comparison.

Try to understand your student’s anxiety. Ask questions about past testing experiences, what triggers their stress, and how they feel when testing. For example:

• Tell me about a time when you didn’t do well on a test. How did you feel? What happened?

• What are your biggest concerns about testing?

3. Reframe their perspective. To help students maintain a better perspective on testing, explain that testing is only one part of the learning journey. Remind them to take a step back and focus on the bigger picture. The testing process has many moving parts, and it’s essential to help students see that testing is not the only way to measure their intelligence or abilities.

Depending on their age, encourage them to explore other opportunities, such as:

• extracurricular activities;

• mentorship programs;

• internships.

These experiences can give students a wider perspective on how intelligence and competency are assessed as well as provide them with alternative paths to success. Likewise, a broader perspective can help build self-confidence and resilience, which can, in turn, help reduce anxiety.

4. Share effective test-taking strategies. Examples of effective test-taking strategies include:

• Planning ahead. Students must learn how to allocate time, understand the test format, and preview testing material to anticipate which questions may be asked.

• Reading directions. It’s important to carefully read instructions to ensure comprehension before beginning any testing activity.

• Staying focused. Remaining organized and on task during testing can help a student avoid wasting time or needing to double-check answers.

• Eliminating distractions. To stay focused, students must turn off electronics, put away testing materials, and block out other test-takers.

5. Emphasize positive thinking. Encouraging positive thinking is one of the best ways to help students manage testing anxiety. Positive thinking can be a powerful tool for believing in one’s ability to succeed and perform well on testing days. Positive thinking can also help reduce stress levels, preventing testing anxiety from spiraling out of control.

Positive thinking takes practice. Help your students develop concrete examples of positive self-talk they can use on testing days, such as, “I am capable and confident,” or, “I can do this!” Have students write these affirmations and commit them to memory.

6. Encourage them to get enough sleep. Getting a good night’s sleep before a testing day is one of the best ways to reduce stress and maximize performance. Sleep helps restore energy levels, dispel mental fog, and improve memory.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends that children ages 6–12 get 9–12 hours of sleep and youth ages 13–18 get 8–10 hours.

Here are some ways to optimize sleep before testing:

• Go to bed and wake up at the same time every night.

• Avoid bright screens (TV or phone) for at least one hour before bed.

• Avoid caffeine or other stimulants late in the day. 

Pamela Roggeman is dean of the College of Education at the University of Phoenix.