Tests may only be a portion of your child’s grades, but they create a high-pressure environment that many students find stressful. In particular, sophomores going into 11th grade and juniors heading into senior year often have heightened anxiety due to the college admissions process. Unfortunately, COVID-19 is only adding to their nervousness. Strong study habits, tutoring, and having the right mindset can help alleviate anxiety driven by tests, even during difficult times. 

What Causes Test Anxiety?

The main cause of test anxiety is the fear of failure. Tests are important, but the combination of time constraints, underlying anxiety problems, and how tests are calculated into final grades can cause students to overemphasize their significance.

In the age of COVID-19, exams are having an even greater impact on anxiety. Many high school students are worrying about how the pandemic will affect their chances of getting into their dream school. As a result, they’re feeling a lack of control and putting an even greater emphasis on exam performance.

Some students also have trouble focusing at home, especially with difficult news updates coming in daily. This leaves them distracted and less capable of concentrating while studying and taking exams.  

Finally, sometimes students place their self-worth on test scores, which can leave them feeling guilt, inadequacy, and helplessness after a bad grade, especially if they felt unprepared. 

What Are the Symptoms?

Test anxiety presents differently in affected students, manifesting in emotional, physical, and behavioral symptoms. These can range in seriousness from mild stomach discomfort to panic attacks. Common physical symptoms include increased heart rate, tremors, sweating, nausea, and diarrhea. Students might have trouble concentrating, forget the material they studied, self-deprecate, or even find ways to avoid tests like faking illness.

On top of regular test anxiety, many students are experiencing symptoms of stress due to the pandemic. For example, you may notice your teen developing insomnia, unhealthy eating patterns, worsening mental health conditions, or obsessive thoughts about the health of loved ones.

How Can Anxiety Be Eased During Tests?

Before tests, make sure your child is going to bed on time. Getting a great night’s sleep is proven to improve memory, concentration, and overall performance. 

Show them breathing exercises that they can employ during tests when they start feeling overwhelmed. If your child has a tendency to talk down to themselves, share mantras to readjust their mindset. For example, if they start thinking, “I’m not good enough,” teach them to replace this phrase with “I studied hard for this.”

Remind your child that a bad score is not the end of the world and that they are worth more than their grades. Their scores are only a basic measure of performance, but these can be improved with time and work. If studying doesn’t seem to help, tutoring will teach them how to study effectively and catch them up with any material they may have missed. With enough preparation, a positive mindset, and parental reassurance, they can alleviate their anxieties around testing.

In addition to these strategies, you’ll also need to take the stress from the COVID-19 pandemic into consideration when helping your teenager cope. Encourage your child to connect with their friends, go for a run, meditate, and eat balanced meals. Finally, make sure they’re taking time to unwind daily, as well as limiting their social media use and news consumption.   

If your teen is experiencing increased test anxiety due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tutors at Peach State Tutoring & Test Prep will help ease their fears by providing the preparation, tools, and motivation they need to succeed. In addition to academic tutoring, they offer SAT and ACT prep as well as Summer Programs to the Roswell, Johns Creek, Milton, Cumming, Duluth, Norcross, Suwanee, and the Alpharetta, GA, area. Their programs are customized to suit your child’s learning style and transform their performance. They also administer a free SAT vs. ACT evaluation test, which will show you which standardized test will give your student the best results. Call (678) 824-6890 or visit their website to learn more about their tutoring services.