Test Anxiety: How to Manage It?

"Did I answer that right? What if I don't get a good grade? What if I fail? Did I write everything I needed to?" 😰

Exam anxiety thrives on these questions. The "what ifs" bring too many doubts and rarely, if ever, provide any certainty.

Doubt fuels anxiety and, curiously, increases the likelihood of exactly what you fear happening, because all your attention and effort become trapped by the fear of failure instead of the desire to do your best.

In this article, you will understand why test anxiety occurs, ways to control it, what to do when you go blank in the middle of an exam, and how parents can help without adding to their children's pressure. ⬇️

Why does exam anxiety occur?

A anxiety has an adaptive function: it signals dangers and important moments. The problem isn't feeling it, but rather its intensity. Without any anxiety, there would be no satisfaction in seeing a good grade on the results sheet, nor the pride that arises after successfully facing a difficult situation. 

However, in its most intense form, you can lose confidence and opportunities, and fall into the trap of trying to control it instead of learning how to deal with it.

Exam anxiety has two sides that work simultaneously:

• Cognitive component: worry, catastrophic thoughts, and the anticipation of failure. 
• Physiological component: a racing heart, sweaty palms, muscle tension, stomach aches, and difficulty sleeping the night before.

It is known that the cognitive component of anxiety, in particular, can interfere with concentration and occupy cognitive resources necessary for reasoning and memory. In this way, anxiety can hinder performance during an exam, even when the student has studied and knows the material.

How to manage test anxiety?

The good news is that there are strategies to help manage exam anxiety:

1. Work on your mindset, not just the material 🧠

Exam preparation isn't just about studying content: it's also important to learn how to deal with the thoughts that fuel anxiety. A meta-analysis of 56 studies concluded that programs combining cognitive techniques with study skills training produce the greatest reductions in anxiety, placing the average student ahead of 74% of those who received no intervention.

In adolescents specifically, a brief cognitive-behavioral program combined with study skills training maintained anxiety reduction six months later.

In practice, this means: identifying the thought ("I'm going to go blank and won't be able to answer the questions"), testing it against the facts ("out of the last five times, how many actually went like that?") and replacing it with a more realistic perspective (“this is likely just anticipation, I've studied hard, I can do this").

Another technique with proven results is mental imagery rewriting. When a student repeatedly imagines a failure scenario, it can be helpful to explore that image and build a more adaptive alternative. For example, instead of imagining yourself freezing up during the entire exam, you can visualize yourself taking a break, breathing, rereading the question, and moving forward step by step. 

Along these same lines, the Grounding Technique can also help push away negative thoughts by refocusing your attention on the present moment through observing your surroundings and physical sensations. See how it works in practice:

2. Breathing 🫁

Deep breathing is the most immediate tool available, and it actually works in a real classroom setting.

For children and adolescents, guided breathing before an exam reduces anxiety and improves performance by regulating the physiological reactivity that hinders clear thinking. 

About two minutes of conscious breathing before a math test can lower students' anxiety. 

Two minutes. That’s the time it takes to wait for the teacher to hand out the exam papers. 

A Diaphragmatic Breathing is a form of deep breathing widely used for this purpose:

3. Move your body in the weeks leading up to it 🏃

Aerobic exercise acts as a preventive shield, but only in the right dose. 

A 2022 meta-analysis showed that at least 20 minutes, two to three times a week, over four weeks, is needed to reduce test anxiety. 

The best results were seen with 31 to 60 minutes of low-intensity exercise for eight consecutive weeks, especially when combined with psychological support.

4. Sleep well and cut out stimulants 😴

Exam-day habits matter more than you might think. 

In a study of university students, getting less sleep the night before an exam and consuming more coffee or energy drinks were associated with significantly higher levels of test anxiety. 

Conversely, active relaxation and talking about the subject with family or friends were associated with fewer anxiety symptoms.

Talking about your fears is part of the solution, not a sign of weakness.

Going blank during a test: what to do in the moment?

Going blank doesn't necessarily happen because you haven't studied; it's a temporary block in accessing information caused by over-activation. The information is still there. What failed was the path to it.

🤔 What to do when it happens:

1. Put your pen down and breathe slowly for thirty seconds. Trying to force your way through a mental block can increase your stress levels even further.
2. Skip the question and move on to one you know how to answer. Every answer you provide restores a greater sense of control.
3. Write down anything related to the topic: a word, a date, or a diagram. Memory works through association, and the first clue can help you retrieve the rest.
4. Return to the question at the end, once you are feeling calmer.

💡 To further help during the test, it can be important to:

1. Start with the questions you feel most comfortable answering. This can help boost your confidence and prevent mental blocks.
2. Read each question carefully and, if necessary, re-read it to confirm exactly what is being asked.
3. Mark the questions you have answered and highlight the most important words.
4. Use a piece of scrap paper to list key points before answering directly on the test. This practice can help you organize your ideas better!

Oral presentations and fear of public speaking

When it comes to presentations, anxiety feeds on avoidance.

Every presentation postponed, and every time a student swaps with a classmate to avoid speaking, confirms to the brain that the situation was indeed dangerous.

The path forward is the opposite: gradual and planned exposure: Present at home to family, then to two or three friends, then to a small group in class. Recording yourself speaking helps confront distortions, because the result is almost always much better than the mental image the young person had of themselves.

My child gets anxious during tests: how can I help during exam season?

Parents have more influence than they realize, for better or for worse.

Some helpful guidelines:

👉 Ask how they felt, not just what grade they got. The grade is the result, managing anxiety is the process, and it is the process that needs training.

👉 Do not dismiss their feelings. Phrases like "It's nothing, you're overreacting" can make young person feel that their concerns are not understood. Validating their emotions does not mean agreeing with their fears, but rather acknowledging that their discomfort is real and helping them cope with it. 

👉 Watch out for overstudying. Studying to the point of exhaustion the night before is often a sign of anxiety, not organization, and it robs them of the sleep that would make a difference the next day.

👉 Be careful with projection. Phrases like "your future depends on this" turn a test into a life sentence.

👉 Maintain a routine. Meals, sleep, and some physical activity are just as much a part of preparation as their notes.

Is exam anxiety normal? When to seek help

Some anxiety before an assessment is normal and even useful, as it helps focus attention. It stops being normal when it becomes too intense, persistent, or interferes with their well-being and daily activities. 

It is worth seeking professional support when:

• Results are consistently below what the young person actually knows;
• Physical symptoms appear in the days leading up to exams, such as insomnia, stomach aches, nausea, or headaches;
• Avoidance behaviors occur, such as skipping tests, postponing presentations, or dropping courses;
• The distress extends beyond exam periods and affects daily life, appetite, or relationships with friends.

In these cases, a psychological assessment can help understand the factors contributing to the anxiety, identify specific needs, and define intervention strategies tailored to the difficulties.

📍 If you recognize your child, or recognize yourself, in these lines, you can book an assessment with us.

The sooner performance anxiety is addressed, the less time it has to become a habit!

References

Huntley, C. D., et al. (2019). The efficacy of interventions for test-anxious university students: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 63, 36-50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2019.01.007

Jirjees, F., et al. (2024). Test anxiety and coping strategies among university students. Scientific Reports, 14. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-59739-4

Khng, K. H. (2017). A better state-of-mind: deep breathing reduces state anxiety and enhances test performance through regulating test cognitions in children. Cognition and Emotion, 31, 1502-1510. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699931.2016.1233095

Kroener, J., et al. (2024). Coping with test anxiety using imagery rescripting: A two-session randomized controlled trial. Journal of Affective Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2024.04.067

O'Meara, P., & Lovett, B. J. (2025). Single-session expressive writing interventions for test anxiety: a meta-analysis. Anxiety, Stress, & Coping, 39, 21-34. https://doi.org/10.1080/10615806.2025.2552857

Reinhardt, M., et al. (2025). Exploring the Use of Mindful Deep Breathing as a Potential Tool for Reducing Math Test Anxiety in Middle School Students. Journal of Applied School Psychology, 42, 167-181. https://doi.org/10.1080/15377903.2025.2609067

Roos, A., et al. (2022). Control, anxiety and test performance. British Journal of Educational Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjep.12536

Yale-Soulière, G., et al. (2024). Evaluation of a brief intervention to reduce test anxiety in adolescents: a randomized control trial. Current Psychology, 43, 30760-30775. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-024-06361-2

Zhang, X., Li, W., & Wang, J.-H. (2022). Effects of Exercise Intervention on Students' Test Anxiety: A Systematic Review with a Meta-Analysis. IJERPH, 19. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19116709