Tests are used both inside and outside of school to evaluate a student’s understanding of a subject. As more is learned about different learning styles and learning disabilities, the importance of standardized tests and accumulative testing comes into question. There are many students who know the material and have an understanding of the concepts but become so overwhelmed in testing situations that their mind goes blank and their scores do not reflect what they know.
While most universities recently went “test-blind” during COVID lockdown because of the inability to provide tests to students, many believe it’s for the best as it is not an accurate measure of a student’s knowledge. A Forbes Article on colleges not requiring standardized tests said, “FairTest Executive Director Harry Feder said in the organization’s news release ‘These schools recognize that standardized test scores do not measure academic ‘merit.’ What they do assess quite accurately is family wealth, but that should not be the criteria for getting into college.’”
With what many are calling the “mental health epidemic,” society is seeing increasing numbers of students that are suffering from mental illnesses, with more than a quarter of the population of adolescents in the U.S. having an anxiety disorder. It is to be expected that some of them suffer from test anxiety, and even students without an anxiety disorder can suffer from test anxiety.
All tips for test anxiety seem to be easier said than done, but putting in the time to work through your test anxiety and cope with it, without trying to cure it, may lead to less stressful tests and better test scores. As it is with most mental struggles and disorders, it can’t just be cured or fixed and it is definitely something a student has to work at.
Mayo Clinic released an article titled: “Test Anxiety: Can it be Treated?” some tips are simple as getting eight hours of sleep, exercising, drinking water, and eating healthy food. These are tips that have been given out for years. More importantly, and in my experience, the most effective tips include: finding study skills that work for your personal learning style, studying in increments of time instead of cramming right before the test, studying in the same environment which can help you recall information, and seeking professional guidance from a counselor or therapist.