MACON, Ga. — The end of the first semester is on the horizon which means mid-term final exams are coming up. Test anxiety may impact you or even your eager young learners, but there are ways to ease the angst.
"I would be pretty shaky the night before I wouldn't be able to sleep sometimes especially early on in high school," says Mercer student Melanie Rubanov.
She says she suffered from test anxiety in high school but since entering college the impacts of it aren't as severe for her.
"I think I just got used to it. Now I may not sleep as great or I may feel a little antsy but its not like it used to be," Rubanov said.
Patty Gibbs, the executive director at Family Counseling Center of Central Georgia, says test anxiety can hit your mind and your body.
"One of those is the physiological aspects of test anxiety, which are those physical symptoms like a headache, or nausea, even excessive sweating," Gibbs said.
There's also the cognitive side of test anxiety like going blank on the test, feelings of self doubt or fear and second guessing yourself.
"About 24% to 40% of students experience some level of test anxiety through their schooling years," Bibbs said.
The causes range from being fearful of not living up to your expectations or the expectations of others like your parents or believing that grades equal your personal worth.
Sometimes overthinking about how you should have spent more time studying and getting ready can cause anxiety as well.
The solutions could be to take your time on tests, studying in a place similar to where you'll take that test and prioritize some study time not just cramming at the last minute.
As for Rubanov she says prepping always helps.
"It makes me feel pretty calm if I can do well on a practice test. I'm pretty confident that I will do well on the actual one," she said.
The Princeton Review has more tips on how to fight test anxiety.
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