It’s that time of the year when many learners and students across the country are either preparing for or sitting for exams. Exams and tests are normal activities of academic pursuit. However, it has the potential to either trigger or cause anxiety. Most of us would feel nervous or anxious, exhibiting symptoms such as uneasiness, tension or a fast heartbeat at some point in our lives when we encounter challenges which are normal. However, when anxiety incapacitates our functioning to a degree that we cannot perform or carry out certain tasks, it becomes a problem (APA, 2013) and, therefore, requires intervention.

Social anxiety disorder is one such anxiety disorder that can cause significant impairment in a person’s daily functioning. This disorder, in particular, relates to fear of performance, which includes tests, exams or any other performance in a social setting, and is common among teenagers. Closely linked to social anxiety is the test anxiety phenomena – “a common educational problem, referring to a situation when students do not feel confident about their abilities, which is reflected especially in their performance and tests results” (Trifoni & Amp; Shahini, 2011). The primary driving force for test anxiety among school learners and university students is the negative consequences of failure.

Possible causes of test anxiety could be fear of failure – attaching your self-worth to your results; poor testing history – previous failures in a particular course, subject or grade; and unpreparedness – not studying enough in addition to biological and mental causes. Symptoms specific to test anxiety may involve physical symptoms – sweating, shaking, fast heartbeat, dry mouth, fainting and nausea. At times, it might feel like “butterflies” in the stomach, but could be more serious like diarrhea or vomiting.

Behavioural and cognitive symptoms include avoiding situations that involve testing, such as skipping class or even dropping out of school; use of drugs or alcohol as coping mechanisms, in addition to difficulty concentrating; and memory problems and negative self-talk. Emotional symptoms could include feelings of hopelessness, depression, low self-esteem and anger.

To cope with test anxiety, learners can apply the following (Cherry, 2022): Avoid the perfectionist trap. Don’t expect to be perfect. We all make mistakes, and that’s okay. Knowing you’ve done your best and worked hard is really all that matters, not perfection.

Replace negative thoughts. 
If you start to have anxious or defeated thoughts such as “I’m not good enough”, “I didn’t study hard enough”, or “I can’t do this”, push those thoughts away and replace them with positive thoughts. “I can do this”, “I know the material”, and “I studied hard” can go far in helping to manage your stress level when taking a test.

Get plenty of sleep. A good night’s sleep will help with concentration and memory.

Make sure you’re prepared. Study for the test early until you feel comfortable with the material. Don’t wait until the night before. If you aren’t sure how to study, ask your teacher or parent for help. Being prepared boosts confidence and will lessen test anxiety.

Take deep breaths. If you start to feel anxious while you’re taking your test, deep breathing may be useful for reducing anxiety. Breathe deeply in through your nose and out through your mouth. Work through each question or problem one at a time if time permits, and take a deep breath in-between each one as needed. Plenty of oxygen in the lungs brings a sense of calmness and focus.

Stress-free environment. Parents and family can support by making the home environment as stress-free as possible.

Fear stands for “false evidence appearing real”. Don’t allow fear to control your outcome. However, if it’s overwhelmingly distressing, seek help from mental health professionals.

* Justine /Oaes (Clinical Psychologist)

oaesjustine@gmail.com