With competition in the academic environment on the rise, the expectations that parents have of their children have also risen. Oftentimes the pressure that a student feels manifests itself as test anxiety; where even though a student has prepared for a subject, and does very well in the practice rounds, he totally ‘freezes up’ when he gets to the actual test.

On a very broad level these anxieties are largely psychological and are usually signs of the parents (or the students themselves) putting extra stress that he needs to do well. Because test anxiety is largely psychological, many of the symptoms of test anxiety can be "trained" away. This article highlights some of the steps that can be taken.

1. Get used to the testing conditions
The first step a student should take is to simulate the high stress environment to the best of his or her ability. Sometimes this is as simple as putting a ticking clock right in front so the student can feel the pressure of working under time constraints. Other times having an adult come and peer over the student’s shoulder can simulate a teacher’s interest in the student’s work – which for some students can be very unnerving. Yet another way to do this is to simulate distractions that might take place in a testing environment, for example someone chewing loudly, or tapping their pencil. These techniques should be combined and repeated till the student feels comfortable in the high stress testing environment.

Sometimes the environment itself is unique (usually the case with standardized tests), where the student is either going to a brand new location or is using a medium that he is not entirely comfortable with (for example a computer based test). In the first scenario (different place) the student should try to visit the test site in advance to become familiar - even if just a little bit – with the new place. This can have a very calming effect on the student, as it will not be as disorienting as taking a test in a place that the student has never been to before. In the second scenario (different medium) the student should try to get as much hands on experience as he can on the medium that the test will be conducted on. Nowadays practice tests are available for almost any kind of exam usually on the medium that is required for the real test. The student should seek out these tools and master performing well in situations that are as close to the "real thing" as possible.


2. Be comfortable with the material that is to be tested
Perhaps the biggest anxiety driver is when a student is unsure of his or her ability to completely comprehend the material. This can have a very damaging effect, because being unsure about the material makes you more nervous, and so the vicious cycle continues. The student must attain mastery of the subject that is to be tested beforehand. The student should ideally study incrementally, keeping up with the class for example, rather than trying to cram information the night before. The familiarity with the subject matter should ideally reach the level where it "flows freely" from the student, almost without even thinking about it. For example if the test is on geometry the student should know (and have thoroughly practiced) all the rules so on test day he doesn’t have to "look" for the rules, instead he should "see" them.

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