How to Help a Teen Overcome Test Anxiety

Опубликовал Admin

6-10-2016, 16:35

713

Chances are if you’ve taken a test, you’ve experienced test anxiety. Test anxiety is often rooted in pressure from parents, competition between students, and the desire to excel scholastically in order to meet college admission requirements. Establishing healthy study habits, adequately preparing for exams, and seeking professional help when necessary can help teens overcome test anxiety.

Establishing Healthy Study Habits

Help the teen create a regular study schedule. Set aside regular blocks of time to study for specific subjects and tests. This will help the teen adequately prepare which in turn can lower anxiety levels.
- Sit down with the teen and have them prioritize subjects to study each day. Make this part of the teen’s daily schedule.
Urge the teen to ask for help with study skills. Studying efficiently and being adequately prepared for a test are key to doing your best. Encourage them to ask teachers or a school counselor for help with learning more efficient ways to study for tests.
- Try saying to your teen, "I heard from another parent that Mr. Miles is great at helping students learn new study skills. Maybe you could talk to him after school on Wednesday."
- You can suggest your teen approach a teacher and say, "Mr. Miles, I heard you sometimes help students with study skills. I'm having trouble studying for the upcoming history exam. Could you help me after school one day this week?"
Review test-taking strategies with your teen. It’s important to develop good test-taking skills. Teachers and school officials can point teens to specific resources that can help. There are also a few simple guidelines that will improve your teen’s test-taking skills.
- Read each question on the test carefully.
- Make an outline for each essay before beginning to write.
- Answer the easiest questions first and then move on to the harder ones.
Encourage regular breaks while studying. When teens study it’s important to sit down for a set amount of time and walk away from the studying when that time is up. Taking breaks will give their mind a rest and help them refocus for the next block of study time.
- Urge studying in one hour blocks. Study for the first 50 minutes and then take a 10 minute break.
Suggest relaxation techniques. Researchers from Eastern Illinois University found that relaxation and breathing exercises helped reduce test anxiety. Work with the teen to establish some relaxation exercises they can do at home and while taking an exam.
- Try inhaling for ten seconds and then slowly exhaling for another ten seconds. Make sure you are using your diaphragm, not your chest, to breathe. Your lower abdomen should rise and fall.

Preparing for and Taking a Test

Encourage the teen to ask for help with test content. Asking a teacher or professor to help develop a study plan or for one-on-one tutoring or help is a great way prepare for exams. Teachers and professors can help point the teen in the right direction as far as what specific course materials they should be studying.
- Talk to your teen at dinner. Try saying, "When I was in tenth grade I was really struggling with chemistry. I thought I was bad at science, but it turns out I just needed a little extra help. Mrs. Smith stayed after school to help me study - and earn an A! What if you asked Mr. Goines to help you with biology?"
Advise against cramming for exams. Procrastinating until the last minute will only increase anxiety and negatively affect the teen’s sleep. Urge them to make study time for exams a priority. Stick to the established study schedule, and add more time to study for a particular test if necessary.
Urge them to get a good night’s sleep. How well a student performs on a test is directly related to how much sleep she got the night before. Being well rested will help them do their best on test day. Shoot for at least 8 hours of sleep the night before an exam.
Encourage them to eat a healthy breakfast the morning of the test. Stick to whole grains, fruits, vegetables, dairy, and lean proteins like turkey bacon. Make sure they avoid foods high in sugar like many breakfast cereals. Feeding one’s brain a healthy breakfast can positively affect test performance.
Avoid sugary drinks, coffee, and energy drinks. The large amounts of sugar in soda and energy drinks can cause spikes in blood sugar. Caffeinated beverages often increase anxiety levels. Instead, encourage the teen to drink water to stay hydrated.
Tell the teen to practice relaxation techniques during the test. If they find themselves feeling anxious while taking the exam, urge stop and do one of the relaxation techniques they’ve been practicing.
- Try breathing in for 10 seconds and then exhaling for 10 seconds, repeating for 5 breaths.

Seeking Professional Help

Talk to a school nurse, teacher, or school counselor. If your teen’s test anxiety is affecting their performance at school, you or the teen should consult a trusted school official or teacher. They will help point you in the direction of resources to help the teen deal with test anxiety and improve test performance.
Set up an appointment with a mental health professional. Test anxiety can be severe and many teens benefit from seeing a professional counselor. Meeting with a psychologist or other mental professional can help teens develop a skill set for dealing with test anxiety.
Address any learning disabilities. Test anxiety can be rooted in an underlying learning disability that could be undiagnosed. Students with learning disabilities are often afforded special accommodations, such as more time to take a test.