Coping with Test Anxiety – Year End Finals

Test anxiety is a very common issue among children, teens, and young adults. Now that year end finals are upon us, many of us will find that our kids are experiencing some degree of anxiety about those tests. It does not matter if a child went to class each day, completed all of their homework, and studied extensively.

Even if the child seems to be confident about the material that will be on the year end finals, they may suddenly find themselves experiencing a vast array of anxiety when it comes time to take the finals. For many kids, teens, and young adults, performance anxiety is the most challenging aspect of those end of the academic school year tests.

In this brief guide, you will learn important facts about test anxiety and steps that may be taken to help your child cope with this type of performance anxiety.

The Causes
There are many potential causes behind the development of test anxiety. Below are the most common, according to educational professionals and mental health professionals:

Many kids, teens, and young adults experience an immense fear of failure. For many, the pressure behind optimal performance is a wonderful means of motivation; however, for others, this pressure may prove to just be too much. This is especially true among individuals that seem to tie in what they are worth to their performance.
If the kid, teen, or young adult has waited to study and have engaged in preparations at the last minute, they may experience bouts of severe anxiety.
If the kid, teen, or young adult has had negative test-taking experiences in the past, they may develop a negative mindset about testing, in general. As a result, this negative mindset could negatively impact performance on future tests.

Management Techniques
Kids, teens, and young adults that experience test anxiety as finals draw near are sure to experience a vast array of mental and physical symptoms. These may include – but, are not limited to – headaches, nausea, vomiting, fear, difficulty concentration, and anxiety and/or panic attacks. There are many management techniques that may help a kid, teen, and/or a young adult cope with test anxiety. The most popular of these techniques include the following:

The individual experiencing text anxiety should be encouraged to maintain a positive attitude. The individual should be told that their self-worth is not defined by their performance on the test. The person should be encouraged to think positively and be informed that there are no advantages to thinking negative thoughts.
The individual should be encouraged to be thoroughly prepared for the finals. For example, studying should be done a few times a week and good test-taking skills should be enforced.
Your child should be encouraged to engage in healthy habits. Examples include getting enough sleep, eating healthy, and exercising.

If you find that your child, teen, or young adult in high school is experiencing test anxiety about finals, you should take the steps contained here and be a highly motivational spirit in the individual’s life. In addition to this, you may enlist the use of tutoring services to build confidence.