Dealing with Test Anxiety: The #1 Mistake People Make

What’s the #1 mistake it’s easy to make when it comes to test anxiety? Here it is in one word: AVOIDANCE. Avoiding test anxiety or trying to suppress it is not an effective strategy for overcoming test anxiety in the long term. In fact, avoiding anxiety-provoking situations can reinforce anxiety and make it more difficult to manage. Instead, a more constructive approach to overcoming test anxiety involves facing it in a controlled and mindful way. This process of “facing your fears” is called exposure.

The key to overcoming test anxiety is to stop avoiding test anxiety. Sound impossible? It’s not! Here are 3 simple steps you can take to stop avoiding and start crushing test anxiety.

1. BECOME FRIENDS WITH THE TEST 

Do you panic a little (or a lot) every time you think about tests, including those high-stakes college admissions standardized tests like the PSAT, SAT, or ACT? Do your palms get sweaty? Does it feel like your heart is going to pound out of your chest? Your body is reacting to perceived danger. These symptoms are not dangerous themselves, but they can be managed. 

Your first reaction may be to avoid what is causing those uncomfortable physical sensations. Maybe you even think the physical sensations associated with anxiety are dangerous? As a psychologist specializing in anxiety for over 15 years, I’ve watched hundreds of people short-circuit avoidance and even elicit the physical sensations on purpose. They have been able to teach themselves that physical symptoms of anxiety are not to be feared. You can do it too!

Another important thing you can do to short-circuit test anxiety related avoidance is read and talk! Instead of believing you need to “relax” and doom scroll. Read and talk about the actual test format. Search for content about the SAT on TikTok. Watch videos about the ACT on YouTube. 

You can teach your brain that taking a test is not dangerous by exposing yourself to it as often as possible. Your brain will learn - “Oh, this is not going to kill me.”   The less you avoid the test, the less dangerous your mind perceives it to be.

2. SIMULATE TEST DAY

The best way to make this happen when it comes to test anxiety is to take a full-length practice test and simulate the test day environment as closely as possible. Is your SAT going to be administered in a library, on-line at 9AM on a Saturday? Go to the library at 9AM on a Saturday, sit down, and take the full-length practice test. Is your PSAT or ACT going to be at your high-school, on paper in a second floor classroom with tiny desks? You know what to do.

Also, don’t forget the rules of test day when you take your practice test. Don’t take breaks that won’t really exist. Use the correct calculator. Most importantly, put your phone away if you won’t be able to use it on test day.  You can find an official  list of devices prohibited in testing centers here.

3. ACCEPT TEST ANXIETY

Choose acceptance over avoidance. You’re facing high stakes! Anxiety, including fear of failure and physical symptoms like sweaty palms, will probably happen! That’s okay. Avoid self-criticism or judgment for feeling anxious about the test. Shame is not a motivator! Celebrate the personal courage it takes to confront test anxiety and invest in yourself.

Ready to tackle test anxiety head on? Find a test anxiety workshop for your test!

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org