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Test Anxiety Alessio Giovannoni “I’m so nervous, I could vomit.” It is not uncommon for these words to precede an assessment at the elementary or secondary school level. These words are an expression of test anxiety: a form of generalized anxiety that includes physiological symptoms. Test anxiety is hard to study because encounters with it are unique. However, we know that at least one-third of elementary and secondary school students experience test anxiety (Raymo et al., 2018). Test anxiety is paradoxical because several studies have shown that the tendency of our bodies to sense and respond to stressful stimuli (i.e. test-taking) actually decreases test performance (Raymo et al., 2018). Recognition of this fact, however, will not help students to overcome their anxiety. If more of our students are going to take tests in a state of optimal mental health, we need to stop caring so much about the implications of their anxiety on their grades. That is to say, we need to stop conditioning students to care so much about grades. We have to shift our focus to managing test anxiety for the purpose of better mental health, not for the purpose of better grades. This idea struck me when I was listening to a podcast called “Out with It,” wherein two high school students spoke on the topic of test anxiety. Implicit in the strategies for managing their test anxiety was the idea that doing so might result in higher test scores. For example, exercise was described not as an outlet for improved mental health, but rather as an activity that served to enhance focus on schoolwork afterward. I am not suggesting that educators disregard assessment altogether; grades can be extremely motivating for students. The truth is, however, that even if educators approached assessments differently and tried to create a different culture around assessments, students who aim for high marks will likely continue to do so, albeit with less pressure from the leaders surrounding them. This approach may result in lower test anxiety, which ironically, may even lead to higher test scores–but who cares about higher scores? Students who experience test anxiety often have lower self- esteem, fewer positive peer relationships, and are more likely to encounter other generalized symptoms of anxiety and depression (Raymo et al., 2018). These social and emotional outcomes threaten the development and health of a student, and they matter far more than the academic outcome of poor grades. But can educators really decrease adolescent test anxiety? Raymo et al. (2018) found that the strongest predictors of test anxiety were intraindividual factors; specifically students’ perceived threat of tests. They found that contextual factors did not significantly predict test anxiety. But how can a student’s perception of the threat of tests be independent of the context in which those tests are administered? Among the questions asked to students to gauge their perceived threat of tests were “How much do you agree that this test is very important to your GPA?” and “How much would you agree that this test is nothing to get too concerned about?” An adolescent’s idea of how important tests are to their GPA, and their level of fear or concern for a test is absolutely influenced by their educators, peers, and parents; that is to say: the context in which the tests are administered. Therefore, educators can and should change the context around testtaking, and consequently, decrease test anxiety within their classrooms.
