The worst feeling in the world is when you work extremely hard to understand something, but when the test comes, then suddenly, you freeze up, zone out, or go completely blank, even if you understood the material last night.

You might have text anxiety – that nervous feeling that people sometimes get when they’re taking a test.

But for some people, test anxiety is more intense. The nervousness they feel before a test can be so strong that it interferes with their concentration or performance.

 What is Test Anxiety?

Test anxiety is a combination of physiological over-arousal, tension and somatic symptoms, along with worry, dread, and fear of failure, that occur before or during test situations.

Test anxiety is a type of performance anxiety- a feeling someone might have in a situation where performance really counts or when the pressure’s on to do well. For example, a person might have performance anxiety before singing solo or going to an interview or even giving a big speech.

Like performance anxiety, test anxiety can bring on “butterflies,” stomachaches or even a headaches. Some people might feel shaky or sweaty, or feel their heart beating quickly as they wait for a test to be given or even to answer a question they think they don’t know.

Test anxiety is different from poor performance on a certain test because your mind is off in space. Certain People know that having other things on your mind- such as a breakup or a death- can obstruct with their focus and avert them from doing their best on a test.

What causes it? 

When your under a lot of stress, your body releases the hormone adrenaline. That’s what causes the physical symptoms, such as sweating, a pounding heart, and rapid breathing. These might have a small effect or a big one depending on how bad you stress.

Thinking of only the bad things can fuel test anxiety. For example, one student at GNA said she is worried about not understanding the material or forgetting it come test time. Just like the rest of us who get test anxiety, she focuses on the worst possible things and when the test comes, she is to scared to take it.

Test anxiety creates a bad cycle. The more a person focuses on the negative things that could happen, the stronger the feeling of anxiety becomes. This makes the person feel worse and, when your head is full of distracting thoughts and fears, it can increase the chances of doing poorly on the test.

Ways to over come it.

Get a good night sleep. Pulling an all-nighter can exacerbate your nerves. You need about 9-10 hours of sleep for the body to properly function.

Fuel up. Eat a nutritious breakfast before the test and pack smart snacks for energy. Look for foods that offer a steady stream of nutrients rather than a sugar high followed by a crash.

Get to class or the testing site early. Being rushed will only amp up the Anxiety and it wont help. Get all your stuff ready the night before and set multiple alarms so you can get out the door on time.

Don’t pay attention to others.  Focus on your test and don’t worry about other people. Work at your own pace and don’t get nervous because you can always ask for more time.

Focus on breathing and positive thoughts. Deep breathing can slow down a beating heart or a racing mind, so practice these techniques at home. The very act of concentrating on breathing and thinking can biometrically alter those anxious feelings.

Accept mistakes. Another thing you can do is to learn to keep mistakes in perspective especially if you’re a perfectionist or you tend to be hard on yourself. Everyone makes mistakes, and you may have even heard teachers or coaches refer to mistakes as “learning opportunities.” Learning to tolerate small failures is a valuable skill.