Helping your child overcome test anxiety

Tests are a big part of school life, more so today than ever before with the emphasis on meeting higher standards. Today’s tests not only tell students how well they are doing and where they need to improve, they also allow teachers to identify where the curriculum needs to be fine tuned.

So if tests are so helpful, why do they cause some children so much anguish?

Any test that requires students to show their best work is likely to produce some jitters. However, when those jitters produce extreme preoccupation with failure, sleeplessness, trembling hands, stomach pains or feeling faint, your child is likely experiencing "test anxiety."

According to the U.S. Department of Education, students who suffer from test anxiety tend to worry about success in school and may be extremely self-critical. Instead of feeling challenged by the prospect of success, they become afraid of failure. This makes them anxious about tests and their own abilities. Simply encouraging them to stop worrying usually doesn’t help ease their concerns. If you find your child tends to experience anxiety prior to tests, here are some things you might try:

• Encourage your child to study over a period of time rather than "cram" the night before an exam. This becomes particularly important with end-of-the-year tests, many of which are reflective of the content that has been taught throughout the year. Test preparation should be more like a review than a stressful attempt to learn a year’s worth of curriculum in one night.

• Try to keep your talk about tests casual (while driving in the car or preparing dinner, ask how your child feels about an upcoming test). Children are more likely to open up about fears or anxiety in less confrontational situations rather than when face-to-face.

• Meet with teachers or a guidance counselor to discuss your child’s progress. They can suggest activities to do at home to help prepare for tests and improve your child’s understanding of schoolwork.

• Stay well-informed about your child’s tests.

• Know how different test results are used and how they will affect your child’s placement in school. Many content area tests and projects count for a percentage of the year’s grade and can determine whether a student passes or fails a subject area. Others, like the eighth grade state tests, are designed to show how well students have learned information in different content areas throughout the junior high school years. Students who score below a certain level will not be held back because of their grade. Scores from these tests are used by teachers to determine whether students will need remedial help to prepare for the more challenging content in high school.

• Don’t dismiss the test as unimportant. At the same time, let your child know that it’s his or her effort and not the final score that really counts.

Before the test, make sure your child:

• Gets a good night’s sleep.

• Eats a wholesome breakfast.

• Dresses comfortably.

• Is on time to school.

• Has all necessary materials (pen, pencil, calculator, etc.).

• Avoids stressful situations (such as arguments) prior to testing.

During the test, encourage your child to:

• Ask questions of the person administering the test if unsure what is being asked.

• Answer questions completely and in detail.

• Check to be sure no questions have been skipped.

• Proofread answers.

• Avoid becoming distracted by other test takers.

• Silently repeat calming phrases, such as "This is only a test," "I don’t have to be perfect," or "I can be nervous later, but now I have to concentrate on the test."

• Take a few deep breaths, get up to get a drink or to sharpen a pencil, shift seating position or stand to stretch.

• Don’t worry about who finishes first or last.

• Go back and proof answers again if finished early, but don’t change anything unless sure of the change. Studies show the first answer is usually the right one.

Suggested reading for parents and students

• Ready, Set, Relax: A Research-Based Program of Relaxation, Learning and Self-Esteem for Children by Jeffrey S. Allen, Roger J. Klein: This book for families teaches how to use visualization and breathing techniques to overcome difficult situations.

• Don’t Pop Your Cork on Mondays: The Children’s Anti-Stress Book by Adolph J. Moser: This book written for kids (ages 9-12) talks about the causes and effects of stress and offers practical approaches and techniques for dealing with stress in daily life. [top]