Overcoming Test Anxiety

A little nervousness before an exam can actually help you perform — but when distress becomes excessive enough to interfere with performance, it crosses into test anxiety. According to psychology professor Jerrell Cassady's Anxiety in Schools, between 25% and 40% of students experience it to some degree. If this sounds familiar, you are far from alone.

Recognising the symptoms

Test anxiety usually shows up as a mix of mental and physical signals.

Mental:

• Persistent negative thoughts about failing
• Excessive worrying that interferes with performance
• Trouble concentrating or being distracted by noise
• Difficulty remembering material you have studied
• Feeling unable to think clearly about the task
• Comparing yourself to others and feeling "not smart enough"

Physical:

• Fidgeting, butterflies, nausea or stomachaches
• Quickened heart rate and rapid breathing
• Sweating and headaches

These reactions are usually rooted in pressure (from yourself or others), past experiences, or fear of failure. The good news: they respond well to deliberate preparation and a few simple habits.

While studying

1. Build a study schedule

A mountain of material feels unconquerable — so don't look at the mountain. Divide notes into manageable sections and work through them on a written schedule. Confidence on test day is built weeks earlier, by being properly prepared from the start.

2. Take frequent breaks

Studying for hours without a break makes retention worse and fixation worse. Short breaks every 20–30 minutes — fresh air, a walk, music, a few minutes of meditation — restore concentration and keep the test in perspective.

3. Practise with mock tests

Most test anxiety is fear of the unknown. Mock tests, sat under realistic conditions in the weeks before, replace that fear with familiarity. Remove your notes and your phone, time it strictly, and review honestly afterwards.

4. Know when to seek help

If anxiety persists, speak to a school counsellor or your GP. Students with diagnosed learning differences such as dyslexia or ADHD may also be entitled to formal exam accommodations — apply for these well in advance.

On test day

5. Eat something nutritious

Brain-friendly foods — protein with a moderate amount of slow-release carbohydrate — keep your mind sharp without a sugar crash. Avoid skipping breakfast and avoid heavy sugar in the hour before the test.

6. Arrive early

Running late stacks anxiety on top of anxiety. Plan to arrive at least 20 minutes before start time, with margin for traffic or transit delays.

7. Keep the test in perspective

Catastrophising — believing one test will define your future — actively hurts performance. Take grades seriously, but remind yourself that no single test makes or breaks a final outcome. Aim for your honest best, not perfection.

8. Skip and return

If a question stalls you, mark it, move on, and come back. Answering the questions you know first builds momentum and protects valuable time.

9. Breathe

When your heart starts pounding, pause and take three slow, deep breaths. Slow breathing lowers heart rate and blood pressure within seconds and measurably improves concentration.

When the test ends, resist the urge to dissect every question with classmates — you cannot change your answers, and post-mortems mostly fuel the next round of anxiety. Reward yourself for showing up and giving it your best. Learning to manage test anxiety takes time, but the skills you build doing it — preparation, perspective, and self-regulation — pay off in far more than exam rooms.