Test Taking Anxiety

Test Taking Anxiety happens to a lot of people but can become a considerable problem when it harms your performance on crucial exams. Taking tests can be extremely worrying for many students. Feeling apprehensive before and during an critical exam is actually rather common, and the amount of stress often depends on the importance of the test results. A little test taking anxiety is normal and extremely common for everyone as long as the anxiety doesn't stop you from doing well on tests that are significant to you.

Anxiety is a really a normal response to pressure that everyone feels. The good part of anxiety is that it can encourage you to study harder and be better prepared than you would if you had no test anxiety. On the other hand, anxiety becomes a problem when it causes you much distress and hinders your abiltiy to do your best. If you find your anxiety level is hurting your ability to perform on critical tests such as college entrance tests or driving tests, it may be time to look for help for your anxiety.

How can you know if your test taking anxiety level is typical or severe enough to be considered an anxiety disorder?

Think back to the last crucial test you took and consider how many of the following anxiety symptoms you experienced prior to and/or during the test.

• Physical problems such as headaches, nausea, or diarrhea, excessive body temperature changes, excessive sweating, shortness of breath, light-headed or fainting, heart racing, muscle tension or a dry mouth
• Emotional Symptoms - intense feelings of insecurity, disappointment, irritation, depression or nervous laughing, crying
• Tension - fidgeting, pacing, tempted to use something (drugs or alcohol) to calm you or wanted to avoid the test altogether
• Cognitive Symptoms - racing thoughts, mind goes blank, difficulty concentrating, negative self-talk, feelings of dread, negatively comparing yourself to others, difficulty organizing your thoughts.

If you experienced many of these symptoms to a severe enough degree to adversely affect your ability to perform on your test, you may need treatment for test taking anxiety.

What causes Test Anxiety and why do some suffer while other people are able to remain calm? 

While there are various causes of anxiety, some general reasons to be worried before a test are a lack of preparation, tired from last minute cramming the night before or other poor study habits, as well as poor time management.

Other reasons for test anxiety can be linked to additional types of anxiety and stress. Are you going through a very stressful time in your life in general? Do you have other symptoms of anxiety disorders...panic attacks, sleeplessness, depression or changes in appetite?

If you are experiencing a lot of stress, this can translate into more test taking anxiety than you might usually experience. Some people are more nervous by nature and tend to be more susceptible to test taking anxiety as well as other anxiety disorder symptoms. Regardless of whether you have continually experienced extreme anxiety around taking tests, or you are struggling through a distressing time in your life, there are things you can do now to get your anxiety under control and enhance your performance on significant exams.

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