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With schools coming to an end, it can only mean one thing… exam season. Exam season is every student’s living nightmare, and with it comes a bulk of exam anxiety.

You may be wondering, what is test anxiety?  Test anxiety is feeling anxiety about a test, whether that is beforehand, during, after, or all of the above. There can be a lot of causes of test anxiety.

For example, already having an anxiety disorder can put you at risk of having exam anxiety. If the test is particularly important, you might have a lot of anxiety about passing. You could also just lead a stressful life and have not had enough time to study so you’re anxious about passing. But on a very simple level, we as humans just get anxious when we have to perform in front of others. It’s a natural thing. However, there is obviously a limit to it before it becomes too disruptive and unmanageable.

Test anxiety symptoms can include the inability to concentrate, racing heart, sweaty palms, labored breathing, stomachaches, headaches, dry throat, and a feeling of impending doom, amongst other terrible sensations. Test-taking anxiety is not only unpleasant but can also lead to poor performance and thus, bad grades.

However, there is no need to fret! You can beat exam anxiety through exam anxiety management, which will be outlined in this article as awesome test anxiety tips.

So let’s get started so you can start getting those A’s, and no, that A does not stand for test Anxiety! (That was horrible I’m so sorry you had to read that)

The Best Test Anxiety Strategies:

1. Being well prepared

The first way to deal with test anxiety is to be well prepared. This translates into many things.

First, be prepared by ensuring you have studied adequately. One of the best ways to reduce exam anxiety is by simply being ready for the test. A lot of times, students get anxious because they don’t feel ready for the exam as they haven’t studied enough.

This anxiety stays chronic until the test actually happens, and after, most people feel guilty that they bombed it, which leads to more anxiety. On top of that, if you’re feeling unconfident about your knowledge of the test, your anxiety levels are likely going to go through the roof right before the exam, as well as during it.

So to avoid all this and reduce test anxiety, create a study schedule that works for you and stick to it. I know that’s easier said than done (I’m also a procrastinating student), however, if you feel confident and prepared for the exam, you’re drastically going to improve your test anxiety.

A second way of being prepared to alleviate your test anxiety is to have everything ready to go for the day of your exam. This includes:

• Meal prepping the day before so all your meals are ready for that day
• Having your outfit already picked out
• Knowing what time your test is and exactly where to go
• Ensuring you know how long it’ll take to get to the place your exam is happening and knowing what time to leave your house at
• Having your bag ready in advance with any notes you’ll need already in it

By being ready in advance, you won’t have to worry about small things that might aggravate your anxiety even more, such as not knowing what to eat or hating everything you put on. It’ll ensure that you have a smooth transition to your test, which will calm your test anxiety.

2. Looking good

Another way to get over test anxiety is to look good for your exam. I know this sounds a little weird, but hear me out.

When you look good, you feel good. When you feel good, you’re more confident, more empowered, and you feel calmer.

These are all fantastic traits you need to be feeling during your test. Imagine being prepared like I previously discussed and the confidence that would bring, and then on top of that feeling good about how you look. THE POWER YOU COULD WIELD.

So the night before, get your best clothes out, spend a little extra time showering and pampering in the morning and do anything else that makes you feel CONFIDENT and GOOD.

This will make a huge difference in your ability to cope with test anxiety.

Personally, I pick at my nails when I’m anxious and the only way to stop myself is by getting fake nails. But by getting fake nails, I also boost my self-esteem by 1000000%. If I’m wearing a nice outfit, and my nails are done, you best bet I’m going to take over the world.

So figure out what makes you feel the most confidence in yourself, and wear that for an extra boost of strength during your test and to decrease anxiety.

3. Being early

There is nothing more anxiety-inducing than running late for an exam. Not only that, but you can be penalized if you’re late past a certain point. This can create some serious testing anxiety.

Similarly to how being prepared will reduce symptoms of anxiety, so will being there early.  So as I said, make sure you know how long it’ll take you to get there and leave at least 30 minutes early. I know that it seems like potentially a lot but if some kind of problem arises while you’re commuting, it should give you enough time to not be late.

For example, here in Toronto, our metro system sucks. There are always delays and problems no matter when you’re commuting. On top of that, our highways are always packed and it takes forever to drive anywhere.

Because I know this, I always leave extra early when I have an exam because there is nothing worse than being stuck in a train for 15 minutes when the exam is in 5 minutes.

Not only that, but by being there early you get a chance to use the washroom (being anxious makes you have to use the washroom a lot), get some water (water can help soothe anxiety), and ask classmates any last-minute questions you might have about the content of the exam.  

So this is a fantastic way to ensure you’re minimizing pre-exam anxiety. Remember, it’s better to wait 30 minutes and get some last-minute studying in than to be running around like a chicken without a head because you’re going to be late.

4. Taking a moment of mindfulness before you start

Taking just a moment of mindfulness is a fabulous way to relax before a test. There are a lot of ways you can do this

• Breathing techniques (belly breath, mindful breathing, diaphragmatic breathing, etc)
• Grounding techniques (5 senses exercise, eating something mindfully, observing an object mindfully)
• Listening to some music
• Stretching

And these are just some examples! You can find what works best for you but taking even 5 minutes before an exam to be mindful can really help you to calm down before a test.

I like just listening to some music, stretching, and doing some deep breathing.

5. Using the power of word

Just like how you’re going to LOOK good, you’re going to tell yourself that you’re going to DO good. The power of word can be a very effective technique for overcoming anxiety.  

While you can take an overly positive approach to using the power of word, you can also take on a realistic positive approach.

If being super optimistic works for you, here’s what you can tell yourself:

• I’m super prepared and I’m going to kill it
• I’m so intelligent, I’ve got this
• That A is gonna be mine
• I can absolutely do this, it can’t go wrong

And other things of this nature. Don’t be ashamed of being super positive like this! It does have its strengths and hyping yourself up like this can be a great way of conquering test anxiety!

I’m personally not a super optimistic person so a more realistic positivity approach works better for me. So instead I tell myself things like:

• I’ve done a lot of studying which means I am in great shape for this exam
• Even if I get some things wrong, I know I’ve studied enough to get me a great final grade
• If everything were to blow up and I fail, it won’t even matter because I’ve got high enough grades to not fail
• I won’t even remember this exam in 3 months so there’s no point getting so caught up in it

This is the best way to handle test anxiety FOR ME. But you can be either of these options, or a combo, or none of them. However, the power of word is just that… powerful. And so using it to your advantage when you’re doing something as stressful as a test can be very effective.

6. Chewing mint gum

There is actually research to support that chewing gum can be an effective way of alleviating anxiety symptoms, and thus getting rid of test anxiety temporarily.

Just like mindfulness, it can be a great relaxing technique for test anxiety. I actually chew on mint gum when I’m anxious all the time because it prevents me from biting my lip or cheek and it’s just a great way for me to fidget without having to.

The reason I recommend mint gum specifically is because it contains menthol which opens up the airway, and helps you to breathe better. As you often can have labored breathing with anxiety, creating a clear airway can be really beneficial and calming.

7. Having a treat planned out after

Another way of managing test anxiety is to have some form of treat planned out for yourself after the exam. That could be something big like a massage or something as small as a warm cup of tea.

Doing this will classically condition you to stop exam anxiety because it means you’ll get a treat after if you complete the task of finishing a test. If you do this consistently, it’ll really help you to overcome exam anxiety.

Now yes, this does seem like you’re training a dog. But we are heavily motivated by rewards! So it makes sense, you do not have to feel ashamed about it.

8. Taking medication

Now the obvious solution to how to get rid of exam anxiety is medication. I have written 2 posts about everything you need to know about medication for mental health, one for prescription medication and one for natural supplements. So I’m not going to go too into detail here.

But there are emergency anxiety medications called benzodiazepines which can provide instant relief for anxiety.

Now you have to be mindful about this because sure the easy way out is to take test anxiety medication, however, these pills can often make you feel sleepy and disoriented.  And that is not the ideal state you want to be in when taking an exam.

So, my suggestion as someone who takes Lorazepam (a type of benzodiazepine) is to only take it if you REALLY need it. Make it a last resort, rather than your first instinct. *Unless otherwise specified by your doctor*

In sum

So that about sums up all of the best exam anxiety management strategies I have for you! I hope that you found them useful and that your exam season goes as smoothly as possible.

Let me know what strategy you liked best in the comments, or if I missed any test anxiety treatment you think is super helpful.

All my love,

T