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How to Overcome Test Anxiety
in Kids
  
Test anxiety is the feeling of being
overwhelmed before or during a test. Symptoms include sweating, loss of
concentration, "butterflies"
in your stomach, or a tension
headache.
A student with really strong test anxiety may even feel like he or she
might pass out or vomit
This anxiety can be a
result of many things some of which are listed below:
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Having a prior bad experience on a test like maybe blanking out
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Feeling overwhelmed due to poor study habits and organizational
skills.
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Fear of failure
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Lack of confidence
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Personal pressure to do well
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Unreasonable personal goals.
So what can be done to help control or
alleviate this anxiety? First and foremost is to ask for help. Talk to
your parents, teacher, or school
guidance counselor.
Just talking to someone about test anxiety can make you feel better.
If you describe what happens to you when you're taking a test you will
find that these people can help come up with a solution. It may be as
simple as learning study skills to help improve your test-day
confidence. As a parent be on the lookout for stress anxiety and
work with your child to implement the tips below.
Some tips to help eliminate test anxiety.
Eliminate the unknown:
To reduce stress it is important for you to find out as much as you can
about the test before you take it. You need to try and answer questions
like: Is it an essay test, quantitative, short answer or combination?
How many questions and what is the scoring technique? Is the test on
notes, book or both? Are there lists of vocabulary words, maps, dates
that are important?
Be prepared for the test:
Pay attention in class, do all homework assignments, do all class work
and implement good study skills. You will find that if you know the
material you will be much more confident taking the test.
Get good
sleep:
The day
before a test it is important that you get good sleep, eat proper meals
and spend some time unwinding. It is necessary for you to go into the
test with a clear mind.
Never cram or stay up all night it will result in your feeling tired,
irritable, and distracted during the test.
Think positive and remove
bad thoughts: If you have prepared for the test to the best of your ability then you
must put into your mind all good thoughts. Remember that you are ready
for the test and you will do a great job. Never dwell on such things as
“I’m not good at taking tests”.
Be forgiving:
Remember that everyone makes mistakes so you must accept yours and learn
from any mistakes that you make.
Use relaxation
techniques:
If your mind is blocked by tension during the test simply close your
eyes and take a deep breath and let it out slowly. Concentrate on your
breathing and then return to the test.
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