12 Ways to Overcome Test-Taking Anxiety
What’s Covered:
- Ways to Overcome Test-Taking Anxiety
- Ways to Overcome Standardized Test-Taking Anxiety
- The Impact of Standardized Tests on Your Chances of Acceptance
Whether you’re facing a pop quiz or the SAT/ACT, it’s natural to feel anxious about an upcoming test. However, while a little anxiety can be motivational, a more profound sense of dread about testing can cause feelings of fear, depression, and worry, and even physical symptoms like headaches, nausea, and excessive sweating. When anxiety becomes paralyzing, you’re unlikely to do your best.
Even people who don’t normally experience test anxiety might feel it on the day of a standardized test, which is much longer, and seems higher stakes, than your math test or English reading quiz. Fortunately, there are steps that you can take to reduce fear and boost concentration during exams, whether it’s in school, or at an SAT testing site. Here are CollegeVine’s top tips for overcoming test-taking anxiety and achieving your goals.
Ways To Overcome Test-Taking Anxiety
1. Go to Bed Early
A lack of sleep doesn’t just interfere with your ability to recall information on test day, it can increase your risk of developing anxiety. In fact, a Pop Science article reveals that the brains of sleep-deprived participants show markedly similar brain activity to those of anxious participants. So, you may not be as anxious as you thought – you might just need to catch up on some sleep! Being well-rested isn’t just helpful with recall, it can make you feel less anxious, too.
2. Eat a Healthy Breakfast
Studies show that certain foods help reduce stress, while others contribute to feelings of anxiety. Stay calm on exam day by eating a breakfast packed with fresh fruits, veggies, and protein. Avoid artificial sweeteners, processed foods, and carbonated soft drinks, as these are all known to exacerbate mood disorders, such as anxiety or depression.
3. Arrive Early
Showing up early and having plenty of time to familiarize yourself with your surroundings and set up your desk exactly how you want it on the day of a test can help you get your mind where you want it for your exam. Setting an extra alarm in the morning, giving yourself some wiggle room on your commute, and even visiting an unfamiliar test location to make sure you know where everything is are all great ways to help you feel more comfortable. Make sure you leave a little more time than you think you’ll need!
4. Mindfulness Exercises
Mindfulness exercises might sound like just another thing you have to teach yourself before test day, but in reality, they can be as simple or as complex as you want. Mindfulness can be as simple as shutting your eyes and taking a few deep breaths, or as complicated as practicing a meditation at home that helps center you and clear your mind.
There are popular apps and YouTube channels that offer meditation geared at all kinds of different occasions, but keep in mind that not all tests allow you to have access to your phone. It’s best to learn some mindfulness techniques that don’t require a phone or listening to directions. That will allow you to take your exercises with you wherever you go!
5. Reward Yourself
Want to reduce your anxiety before a big test? Come up with a reward to look forward to after completing the exam! For example, you might plan to see a movie, grab pizza with friends, or just take a much-deserved nap while listening to your favorite songs. If you start to feel stressed during the exam, having a treat to look forward to can give you the motivation you need to push through.
6. Use Test-Taking Strategies
One way to mitigate test-taking anxiety is to learn tips and tricks to boost your performance. Many people know techniques specific to subject, like mnemonics for memorization, but familiarity with the test format can be just as helpful.
For example, when taking a multiple-choice test, it’s helpful to read the entire question before looking at the answer options. Or, for a test that starts with easier content and works up to harder, like the ACT math section, some students may want to start with the hardest questions at the end, and work their way forward, knowing as time winds down that the quickest and easiest questions lie ahead.
Being familiar with how exactly a test works can reassure you that you’re ready to tackle even its hardest questions.
7. Join a Study Group
If you’re taking a big test, studying and preparing on your own is crucial. However, you might also benefit from joining a study group. Not only does studying with peers force you to focus, minimizing the risk of procrastination that occurs when you’re working alone, but it also helps you to find new perspectives on familiar material as well as concepts that might be confusing.
Finally, studying with a group is a great opportunity to share your fears with others experiencing the same stresses. You can support one another throughout the experience and come out the other side stronger. The other students in your group may even have new strategies to help you beat your anxiety.
8. Find a Tutor
Being prepared is the best cure for anxiety. If you’re worried about an upcoming test (or all of your tests), consider working with a tutor. Not only can these experts help you improve your knowledge of a particular subject, but they can also teach you valuable study skills that will serve you for years to come.
9. Positive Thinking
It might sound silly, but you shouldn’t knock the power of positive thinking. Visualizing a positive outcome or having a calming mantra to repeat when your mind starts to race can really help you turn your mood around.
If that’s not your style, keep in mind that positive thinking can be as simple as reframing the way you’re thinking about a test: try focusing on it as an opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge. At the very least, reminding yourself of your preparation, studying, and past success can be a reassuring way to both focus on the positive and soothe your anxiety with the thought of all that you’ve been able to accomplish so far.
Ways to Overcome Standardized Test-Taking Anxiety
10. Take Timed Practice Tests
Standardized tests impose strict time limits on test takers. This isn’t so unusual, but the amount of content and amount of pressure may make the time constraint seem terrifying. If you’re prone to anxiety, you might find yourself watching the clock rather than focusing on the questions. One of the best ways to overcome this fear is to take some timed practice tests ahead of your exam. The idea is to replicate the circumstances you’ll experience during the real exam so that you don’t feel blindsided on the big day.
11. Plan on a Retake
If you’re anxious about taking a test once, odds are the thought of taking it twice is even more terrifying. However, if you go into a big test like the SAT or ACT planning to take it twice, you might actually experience a reduction in stress. Of course, you should still try your hardest on testing day. However, knowing you can have a second chance (or even a third) might take off some pressure and allow you to focus on the questions on the page, ultimately improving your performance.
12. Talk to Others
Beyond talking to a potential study group or tutor, others around you likely have valuable experience and insight in the world of standardized tests. Your classmates, or peers a year or two older, may have felt the same anxiety that you’re feeling. And, if you’re friends, they know you well, too, which can help make any advice they have more relevant to you.
One thing to be cautious of is talking to people who are routinely negative or pessimistic. Talking about things to be aware of or warnings from bad experiences can be valuable, but focusing exclusively on the negative may make you feel worse. Try to avoid these conversations or minimize them – while it can feel good for a person who had a negative experience to vent, this venting can have a negative effect on you as the listener.
The Impact of Standardized Tests on Your Chances of Acceptance
When it comes to the SAT or ACT specifically, part of your anxiety likely comes from the knowledge that this single test could have a disproportionate impact on your future. Even with the expansion of test-optional policies, the SAT and ACT still play significant roles in the admissions process at many schools, especially more selective ones. And, of course, many schools do still require test scores.
However, standardized tests aren’t the only thing admissions officers care about. Getting a more concrete sense of exactly how much this test matters can calm your nerves, and CollegeVine’s free chancing engine is here to help! This calculator evaluates a variety of factors beyond standardized test scores like grades, course rigor, and extracurriculars to estimate your odds of being accepted at over 1,600 schools across the country.
Viewing your SAT/ACT score within the context of your overall profile will hopefully prevent the feelings of doom and gloom that can throw you off.
