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avatar Anonymous

How can I help my daughter to be less anxious about tests?

Even though she studies very hard, she will sometimes get so nervous that she will forget the answers. Usually she calms down enough to do okay, but other times not.

Question applies to ages: 14, 15, 16

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avatarLizInHolt
# of Thumbs Up Received (78)
Top 5 in: Career Training, Choosing College, Depression and Mental Health, Discipline, Families and Relationships, Health and Wellness, Home Learning and Field Trips, Learning Disabilities and Special Needs, Learning Styles, Manners and Values, Parenting Support, Parents and Schools, Safety, School Policy and Education Issues, Setting Goals and Getting Motivated, Study Skills and Academics, Transitions and Readiness, Students' Civil RightsTop 5 in 18 Topics		 How terrific that your daughter already works hard and wants to do well in school. You must be really proud of her!

It might be helpful to "drill" her on answers the night before a quiz or test, so that she can clearly show that she does, indeed, know the material. This may give her more confidence. Of course, praise her for doing well on tests, which you probably already do, and that helps reinforce that she handled taking the test well, despite her fears. When she gets nervous, remind her of past successes. "You did well on that, and you're prepared and have studied hard so will do well on this, too." Your confidence in her is a good thing, although you need to walk a fine line and not have it seem like pressure on her to do well. She's already feeling self-imposed pressure! So remind her that she's a really good student, and that you're confident that she'll do the best she can, and that's all anyone expects of her.
Good luck!
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avatarElizabeth.Johns
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Top 5 in: Choosing College, Discipline, Families and Relationships, Family Activities, Growth and Development, Health and Wellness, Learning Disabilities and Special Needs, Learning Styles, Parents and Schools, Safety, School Policy and Education Issues, Study Skills and Academics, Summer Learning and Camps, Teens and Jobs, Transitions and Readiness, Motivating StudentsTop 5 in 16 Topics		 You might try teaching your daughter some calming phrases to help her calm herself before a test, something like "I am prepared, I know I can do this." You might also help her to put her tests in perspective. Is the test a quiz that counts for 5 percent of her grade, or the class final? If she does really well in other aspects of her class--projects, homework, participation--a less than perfect test score may not have that big of an impact. She should learn to ask herself "How important is this? Is this worth being anxious about?"

EduGuide has some good articles on this topic, including this one:
Help-Your-Child-Improve-in-Taking-Tests-624

Also, here's some advice I gave to a student who was worried about poor test scores. You might want to share it with your daughter and see if there are any nuggets of advice that help her:

You need to review the tests and figure out where you are having a problem. Do you know the material in class discussions and freeze when you take a test? If so, you have test anxiety and may need to work with a counselor to break that fear.

If it's not test anxiety, ask yourself these questions: have I done the homework? Have I reviewed the problems I missed on the homework so that I know what I did wrong? Have I asked the teacher to explain things I'm not clear on? How much time did I spend studying and reviewing before the test? You need to be honest with yourself about answering these questions.

You might want to meet with your teacher to get his or her perspective on why you're getting poor test scores. He or she may suggest a tutor, some lunch hour or after class review with the teacher or a small group of students, or some other option. Your teacher wants you to succeed, so ask for help.

References:
mom of four good test-takers
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