Test Anxiety: How to Manage It?

"Did I answer that correctly? 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" and uncertainties create too much doubt and rarely, if ever, provide any answers.

Doubt fuels anxiety and, ironically, increases the likelihood of the very thing you fear happening, because all your focus and effort become trapped by the fear of failure instead of the drive to do your best.

In this article, you will understand why test anxiety occurs, ways to manage it, what to do if you go blank during an exam, and how parents can help without adding to the pressure. ⬇️

Why does exam anxiety happen?

Anxiety has a purpose: it signals danger 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 comes after successfully facing a difficult situation. 

However, in its more 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:

• One is cognitive: the worry, the catastrophic thoughts, the anticipation of failure. 
• The other is physiological: a racing heart, sweaty palms, a knot in your stomach, and difficulty sleeping the night before.

It is known that it is primarily the cognitive part—the worry—that lowers results, because it occupies mental resources that would otherwise be available for reasoning and memory.

How can you manage test anxiety?

The good news is that exam anxiety is manageable:

1. Work on your mindset, not just schoolwork 🧠

This is the most reliable approach of all. 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 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'll be able to do it”).

Another effective technique is mental imagery rewriting, where you address the image of failure the student has in their mind and build an alternative one.

Along these same lines, the Grounding Technique you can also help ward off negative thoughts by observing your surroundings. Here is how it works in practice:

2. Breathing 🫁

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

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

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

Two minutes. That is 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, are needed to reduce test anxiety. 

The best results appeared 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, sleeping less 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 treatment, not a sign of weakness.

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

Going "blank" doesn't necessarily happen because of a lack of study, but rather due to a temporary block in accessing information, triggered 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 the "blank" can increase the activation even further.
2. Skip the question and move on to one you know how to answer. Each answer provided restores a greater sense of control.
3. Write down anything related: a word, a date, 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 your body is calmer.

💡 Also, to help during the test itself, it can be important to:

1. Start with the questions you feel most comfortable answering. This can help boost confidence and prevent blocks.
2. Read the questions several times to ensure you interpret them correctly.
3. Mark the questions you have answered and highlight the most important words.
4. Use a piece of scrap paper to make a list of key points before answering directly on the test. A practice that can help organize your ideas better!

Oral presentations and the fear of public speaking

In presentations, anxiety feeds on avoidance.

Every presentation postponed, every time you swap with a classmate to avoid having to speak, confirms to the brain that it really was dangerous.

The path 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 the distortion, 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 worse.

Some useful 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 to be practiced.

👉 Don't dismiss their feelings. Phrases like "It's nothing, you're overreacting" teach young people to hide how they feel. Validating doesn't mean agreeing with the catastrophe; it means acknowledging that the discomfort is real.

👉 Watch out for over-studying. 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 starts to take a toll. 

It is worth seeking professional support when:

• Results are consistently lower than what the young person actually knows;
• Physical symptoms appear in the days leading up to exams, such as insomnia, stomach aches, nausea, or headaches;
• There is avoidance, 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 helps identify what is maintaining the problem and allows for the creation of an individualized intervention plan. 

📍 If you recognize your child, or 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