Test anxiety can cause students a lot of heartache. Some anxiety before a test is normal and can actually be helpful. However, when the anxiety makes it difficult to demonstrate what your teen knows on a test, he/she may need to try something to relax. Simple strategies can be used to decrease how much stress students feel both while studying and when actually taking the test. It’s important to remember that if your teen's anxiety is excessive and is often accompanied by such things as nausea, headaches, or significant tension, he/she may benefit from more in depth relaxation techniques. Often school counselors or school psychologists can help teens learn some strategies for reducing test anxiety.

Tips for your teen...

THE NIGHT BEFORE THE TEST

• Hopefully before this, you have read and studied your material fairly well. If this is the case, use this night to review all of the material and double check your knowledge. If you have waited a little too long to begin studying, focus on information you aren’t as sure of. Then, as you finish for the night, quickly review what you know well to make sure you have all the content down. 
• If you feel yourself beginning to worry, put the test into perspective. How important is it? How many points is the test worth compared to your total grade? If you do badly, are options available for bringing your grade up in other ways (i.e., homework, extra credit, projects, etc.)? 
• Gather any materials that you will need for the test. For instance, you may need a number two pencil, paper, calculator, watch, or an eraser. If pencils are needed, make sure you bring a minimum of two that have already been sharpened. 
• Get a good night’s sleep.

TEST DAY- BEFORE THE TEST 

• Eat breakfast. Breakfast gives you energy and helps you think. However, be sure to eat healthy foods like fruits or cereal and try to avoid processed foods and caffeine. 
• Give yourself plenty of time to get to the test. Arrive a little early so that you can sit and relax for a few minutes before beginning (However, don’t arrive so early that you become more anxious waiting). 
• Don’t let other people doing last minute studying in the exam room make you more nervous. Go into the test confident that you studied hard. If you feel you need to keep reviewing until just before the test, you may find it more helpful to study out of the testing room, such as on a bench nearby. 
• Whenever possible, take the test in the same room and desk that you normally use.

TEST DAY- DURING THE TEST 

• Be confident in what you know. Much of test anxiety comes from being worried that you will not do well or that you will forget what you’ve spent so much time studying. Remind yourself that you are prepared when you begin to feel anxious. Use positive self-statements like “I studied hard and I will do well”, or “I may be nervous but I know the information”. Likewise, try to avoid negative statements like “I just know I’m going to fail”, or “I forgot everything I studied”. These types of comments only make you more anxious and put you in a negative mindset before beginning the test. 
• Use mental imagery. Picture yourself calm and relaxed. It may help to visualize yourself in a soothing place such as on a beach or in a cabin. Take several slow, deep breaths. Picture yourself answering all the questions on the test with confidence. 
• Think about previous tests that you have done well on. Focus on what you did that made you successful and what you can do for this test to get the same results. 
• When you get the test, look at it to see what types of questions are being asked. Skip the difficult questions initially and do all the ones you know. This will give you confidence. Also, sometimes the questions you know will remind you of information you thought you forgot or give clues about how to answer other questions. 
• Keep track of your time. For instance, when the testing time is half over, look to see if you are about half done with the exam. If you’re falling behind, don’t panic. But do go back and budget the remaining time to get as many questions answered as possible. An important rule is to not spend too much time on one problem, especially if it isn’t worth any more points than any other questions. 
• Avoid worrying about what other students are doing or whether they are ahead/behind you. Everyone will finish at their own pace. 
• Throughout the test, just focus on answering each question and don’t worry about the results of the test on your grade.

Source: Arizona Parent and Educational Resource Center.