Taming Test Anxiety
Your heart thumps hard against your rib cage. Your palms get so sweaty, your pencil almost slips onto the desk. Test anxiety. Most of us have been there. But with tests like the SAT, ACT, and AP s returning to the college admissions process, what can parents and educators do to help kids manage their stress as we approach peak testing season? As a yoga teacher and test anxiety coach, I’ll share some short- and long-term strategies below.
Test Anxiety Tip #1: Get Enough Quality Sleep
As neurobiologist and podcaster Andrew Huberman oft repeats, sleep is the foundation of mental and physical health. With sufficient, high-quality sleep, we all feel like we can conquer the world. Without it, stressors seem larger than they might otherwise. Moreover, we can initiate a vicious cycle, where stress then makes it difficult to fall and stay asleep. As a test prep coach, I recommend following Dr. Huberman’s advice in his Toolkit for Sleep as the first step in fighting test anxiety.
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Test Anxiety Tip #2: Know Your Stuff
Sometimes, students experience test anxiety because they haven’t mastered content and / or skills that the exam assesses. Imagine going into a work meeting with a hastily prepared presentation. We’d all break out in a sweat if we were expected to “just wing it.”
Occasionally, parents push students into taking an SAT or ACT without having prepared “just to see what they know.” As a test prep and test anxiety coach, I beg you to not do this. Some colleges want to see every score that a student ever obtained on a test. Why cloud their judgment with a low score? In addition, sitting two-and-a-half to four hours taking a test on material they don’t know well can only serve to rachet up students’ test anxiety, potentially laying neural pathways of negativity for the next time.
Test Anxiety Tip #3: Breathe
“We breathe all the time without thinking!” you might be saying. But picture yourself lifting a heavy weight. You’re likely sucking in a breath, holding it in response to the great effort. As a test anxiety coach, I see students do the same thing while taking tests! Known informally as the “fight-or-flight response,” it’s part of a series of reactions our bodies undergo in response to stress.
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One way to stop this autonomic, or involuntary, response is by consciously taking long, deep even breaths – especially the exhales. As Harvard Medical School recommends, practicing this type of breathing on a regular schedule – while you’re not in the midst of a stressful situation – will better enable you to access the stress-busting benefits of deep exhales in times of high anxiety.
Conclusion: Test Anxiety Is Manageable
Stress is an inevitable part of life. Some stress, in fact, is even beneficial: it catalyzes us to get out of bed and take action throughout each day. However, when fear accompanies stress – as it often does in the case of test anxiety – it can paralyze students. If that stress becomes chronic, it can negatively impact students’ physical and mental health.
Nevertheless, with persistence, students can overcome test anxiety. If your child needs more sustained guidance in following the tips above, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. I’ve helped many students overcome debilitating test anxiety so that they went on to earn top scores and admission to highly selective colleges!