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De-stress for the Test: Reducing Test Anxiety in Elementary Students
Note: This post was updated in March 2019
Tests are a routine part of any educational experience. It’s necessary for students to take classroom and standardized tests to show what they’ve learned in a particular subject or topic. For some students, however, tests can also be a source of stress. This can be especially true for elementary students, who are just learning the process of test taking and understanding the reality of being graded. In fact, test anxiety starts to kick-in for students anytime between second and fourth grade and progresses through middle school and high school.
According to the American Test Anxieties Association, up to 20 percent of students suffer from high test anxiety, and another 18 percent are affected by moderate anxiety. Whether your students are suffering from high levels of stress, or are just a little nervous, we’re offering advice for reducing test anxiety in elementary students.
What is Test Anxiety
Test anxiety is a psychological condition resulting in stress and nervousness in testing situations. Many people experience a little apprehension before (and sometimes during) a test. In fact, some anxiousness can be beneficial as it creates an adrenaline rush that helps your elementary students stay focused and perform well under pressure.
For other students, though, feelings of worry can become overwhelming and can have a negative impact on test performance. Test anxiety can reduce working memory, interfere with reasoning, and increase mistakes. Students with high anxiety can often perform about a half a letter grade below their low-anxiety peers.
It’s when nerves and stress can’t be easily managed that you need to find ways to help students cope with test anxiety.
What are the Symptoms of Test Anxiety?
The symptoms of test anxiety can vary among students. In elementary students, they can range from mild nervousness before a test to physical symptoms including headaches, nausea, shortness of breath, or rapid heartbeat. Along with physical symptoms, affected students can also experience feelings of helplessness and disappointment, as well as anger and fear. Anxious students also report having difficulty concentrating and often have negative thoughts, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America.
As a teacher, you may be able to recognize signs of anxiety just by observing your students. Test anxiety in elementary students can present itself in behaviors such as being exceptionally fidgety or quieter than usual. Some students may even express their concerns to you before the test.
Helping Students Cope with Test Anxiety
If your students are nervous about an upcoming exam, there are steps you can take to build confidence and reduce apprehension.
Preparation is key
Promote good study habits and remind students to review for several days before a test rather than cramming in information the night before. Spend time reviewing the material as a class, too.
Practice makes perfect
If possible, offer practice tests or trial runs, especially for younger students who may be new to test taking. This way, they can experience a test-like setting before the actual exam.
Go beyond the right answer
Successful test-takers do well not just because they know the answers, but also because they give themselves the best chances for doing well. They read all directions carefully, highlight important information in the question before proceeding, and answer questions they know first before going back to the tougher ones. Using scrap paper to complete math problems will help students get organized, and creating outlines or notes before a writing assignment will keep students on track, which also helps reduce anxiety.
Relaxation rules
If anxiety builds before or during a test, help your students relax by reminding them to take deep, slow breaths and make a conscious effort to relax their muscles.
Highlight healthy habits
Before test day, promote a healthy lifestyle that will benefit all areas of a student’s life, including test-taking skills. Getting a good night’s sleep and eating a nutritious breakfast will set the foundation for a successful test session.
Attitude matters
Don’t underestimate the power of a positive attitude. Encourage your students to believe in themselves when it comes to their test-taking abilities and remind them that a test grade doesn’t define their self-worth.
Engage parent help
Outside the classroom, parents can help keep children calm before a test. Find suggestions in our parent guide, Homework Tips and Test Taking Strategies.
How Can You Reduce Test Anxiety in Your Classroom?
As you approach any test, there are fun and easy steps you can take to reduce test anxiety in elementary students.
Set the mood
Post a variety of positive messages on your board or distribute individual statements of encouragement to students. Try this fun idea.
Address the stress
Acknowledge that tests can be stressful, but remind your students that they can do it. Promote their self-confidence by encouraging them to believe in themselves and reassure them that you don’t expect perfection, you just want them to do their best. Need inspiration? Check out how this class “cut-up” their anxiety.
Try a treat
Studies have shown peppermint promotes mental alertness, so offer small peppermint patties or mint candies to your students. Or, provide a pack of Smarties® to remind students that they have what it takes to conquer the test.
Bust out the brain breaks
During a particularly long test, break up test-taking sessions with quick stress busters. Let your students roll the dice on these brain break options.
Unwind at the end
After the test is over, celebrate with a reward. This can range from an in-class movie to ice pops on a hot day. And most of all, remind your students that you’re proud of them for working hard and doing their best.