Test anxiety occurs when someone feels excessively nervous or worried before or during a test, which can make it difficult to perform well. It can lead to feelings of tension, trouble concentrating, and even forgetting the material they’ve studied.
The Test Anxiety Activity Worksheet helps clients recognize thoughts and feelings associated with test anxiety. Through this activity, they can pinpoint behaviors, discover positive statements, and learn coping skills — all aimed at making them feel more relaxed during tests.
Using this worksheet encourages kids and teens to become more aware of their anxious feelings before tests and promotes a more focused mindset. To improve their test performance, they can also review our Test Anxiety Coping Skills handout, which offers additional strategies.
Once they complete the worksheet, kids and teens can start practicing with tools like an organizer, scheduler, or stopwatch to build more effective study habits. For instance, an organizer allows them to plan study sessions for each subject.
References:
- Krispenz, A., Gort, C., Schültke, L., & Dickhäuser, O. (2019). How to reduce test anxiety and academic procrastination through inquiry of cognitive appraisals: A pilot study investigating the role of academic self-efficacy. Frontiers in Psychology, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01917
- Torrano, R., Ortigosa, J. M., Riquelme, A., Méndez, F. J., & López-Pina, J. A. (2020). Test anxiety in adolescent students: Different responses according to the components of anxiety as a function of Sociodemographic and academic variables. Frontiers in Psychology, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.612270
- Yusefzadeh, H., Amirzadeh Iranagh, J., & Nabilou, B. (2019). The effect of study preparation on test anxiety and performance: A quasi-experimental study. Advances in Medical Education and Practice, 10, 245-251. https://doi.org/10.2147/amep.s192053
- Zhang, X., Li, W., & Wang, J. (2022). Effects of exercise intervention on students’ test anxiety: A systematic review with a meta-analysis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(11), 6709. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19116709
