Class-based Approaches to Test-taking Anxieties

As one reviews strategies to alleviate test-taking anxieties, it would appear there are so
many solutions that no one should ever suffer this effect. However, each student is unique and
not every strategy will work for every student. Multiple strategies should be utilized and
manipulated to reflect each students particular needs.
Class-Based Approaches to Relieving Test Anxieties
The number one solution that addresses multiple issues in test taking anxiety seems
simple: preparation. Preparation is a two person responsibility, however. First, the teacher must
lay the groundwork by providing students with all the information needed to be successful during
assessment. This should include supplemental material a student can practice and do on his own
time to reinforce material taught in class. The best supplemental aids would offer varying
approaches, or differentiation instruction, to support students who learn in different ways, such
as visually, logically, individually, socially, aurally, etc (UP, 2014). Second, the student must
put forth a personal effort to rehearse the knowledge learned and expected on the assessment.
He/she must review and practice with the skills and knowledge provided by the teacher, and use
the supplemental material to reinforce the skills and knowledge. If a student does not put in the
effort, or the extra time, to study and reinforce the material, test anxiety may result. The more
practice a student does, the more prepared he will be, and the better he will perform on the
assessment.
Another very important strategy to contest test-taking anxiety is to allow a student
suffering from this condition to remove to an alternative testing area. A resource room, staffed
by adutls (teachers and/or student aides) would supervise that the test is performed honestly and
that the child is where he/she is supposed to be. A resource room serves as an accommodation to
combat situations in the classroom to students that are easily distracted, or for a student
experiencing anxiety before taking a big test. The resource room will be a quiet place for a child
to work through his/her anxiety, calm down by doing personal relaxation exercises that the
school has taught students, and finish a test without the distractions of classmates.
A final method to relieving test-taking anxiety is an approach to relieve stress at the time
of the test. Beforehand, a line of attack has already been executed. Being well-prepared
includes studying over a matter of days rather than trying to cram in a week or more of material
the night before. A good nights sleep will help the student be better adjusted to anything he/she
experiences throughout the following day, including performing on assessments. Positive self-
talk should help produce more positive feelings, just as negative talk produces more negative
thinking and feelings (which should be avoided). But if all of these preparatory tactics fail at the
time of the test, a final practice will help a student with test-taking anxiety. It is a proven
scientific fact that deep breathing relaxes the body. Test-taking anxiety can induce the bodys
fight or flight response. In its barest form, the fight or flight response evolved as a survival
mechanism, enabling people and other mammals to react quickly to life-threatening situations
(Harvard Medical School, 2011). When a threat presents itself, the body prepares to combat an
inherent fear using quick physiological responses which in turn increases respiration, pulse, and
heartbeat. This stress on the bodys systems can result in anxiety.
To combat these physiological stresses, Harvard Medical School (2011) instructs that
deep abdominal breathing helps relieve muscle tension and allows the body to relax while the
mind is able to concentrate more fully on the objective at hand. Breathing exercise not only
calms the body and lets the mind work more efficiently, but it is also a convenient strategy to
use. It can be done anywhere, at any time, and there is no special equipment needed to exercise
it.


References
Harvard Medical School. (2011). Understanding the Stress Response - Harvard Health Publications.
Retrieved from
http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletters/Harvard_Mental_Health_Letter/2011/March/unde
rstanding-the-stress-response
University of Pheonix. (2014). Overview of learning styles. Retrieved from
http://www.learning-styles-online.com/overview/