Last Updated On: February 11th, 2026
The Myth of “Crippling” Test Anxiety
We’ve all heard stories about epic test anxiety: A student who is well-prepared and knows the material suddenly can’t perform on test day. In my experience working with hundreds of students over the years, however, I have found this story to be a myth. While it is typical—and often uncomfortable—for students to feel mental and physical symptoms of anxiety before and during tests, this alone rarely results in a lower test score. In student after student, those who know the material and score well on their practice tests also score well on their real tests. Conversely, the students who struggle on the real test almost always show the same struggles on practice problems and practice tests. Crippling levels of test anxiety can be avoided when students (and their parents) commit to good preparation and realistic expectations.
The Power of Preparation
The most important factor to working through test anxiety is preparation. For students who have a lot of room for improvement, sitting in front of the test full of concepts they never learned and problems they don’t know how to solve will inevitably result in both anxiety and a low score. Many students need to learn and practice difficult concepts and problem types one at a time, which can be done with a class or tutor. Once they’ve mastered one type of problem, they can move on to the next concept or strategy and work until they are comfortable with it. After hard work and practice, when the student sits down in front of a problem set or test for which he or she understands all the concepts and questions, the anxiety disappears. Sometimes it even turns into excitement, as students realize that they are capable of doing well and are ready to show off their hard work.
For students who struggle with reading and vocabulary tests, the solution is simple but labor-intensive: they need to build vocabulary and raise their reading level. Sometimes this requires students to start tutoring or remediation well before the test so that they can start at their current level and work their way up to the level of the test. The good news is that improving these skills translates to better performance in class and beyond, as reading and vocabulary have many applications beyond the test.
Students who are high-achieving and used to always “getting it” often become anxious about challenging tests because it might be the first time they encounter advanced vocabulary, reading passages, and math concepts they haven’t yet learned in class. For these students, the solution is simply that they learn the advanced skills and concepts on the test, which likely involves instruction and/or tutoring outside of school. Once they practice them, these top students are able to master the advanced skills they haven’t seen yet in class and become comfortable with all of the test’s content.
Learning test-taking strategies is also an important part of preparation. Students can be taught how to approach the different types of questions they might find on the test and apply strategies specific to each question type. It’s also important that students practice pacing on timed tests. For students unused to fast-paced tests, the ticking clock can lead to anxiety and poor performance the first couple of times a student tries a timed practice set. Teaching students that it’s okay to guess and skip questions, helping them identify which questions to return to at the end, and helping them get a better feel for the test’s pacing through repeated timed practice can help them use the time limit as a tool to zone in and focus.
Practicing Under Realistic Conditions
Another very important step in proper preparation is to take practice tests that closely resemble the real test while mimicking test conditions. Most tests have some sort of official practice test(s) made by the test makers, either online or in book form; I recommend saving at least three of these for full-length practice tests rather than using them all as a source of individual practice problems. Families should put practice tests on their calendars and set aside a block of time for the test taker to complete the test uninterrupted. Ideally, students should take the practice tests during the time of day they’ll take the real test and complete the test in one sitting, with the same break schedule allotted on the real test. They should also mimic other test conditions as much as possible: a quiet environment; cell phones and screens off and away for the duration of the test; and bathroom, water, and snacks only at break times. Students who struggle with prolonged focus might become anxious under these test-like conditions, but if they practice for it, then they can problem-solve—including applying for accommodations, if needed—and become comfortable with the process before the real test.
When possible, scheduling tests to allow for the possibility of a retake can also help to reduce anxiety. Sometimes students who are overwhelmed the first time they go through the anxiety-ridden process of taking a high-stakes test become much more comfortable the second time around. In addition, the knowledge that they have a second chance can help students feel more comfortable on the first test.
The Role of Realistic Expectations
After good preparation, the next important ingredient to reducing test anxiety is realistic expectations from both students and their parents. Many tests contain very challenging questions, and students need to learn to become comfortable taking their best guess (or leaving the answer blank if the test has a guessing penalty) on a question that is beyond their capabilities. For students with perfectionist tendencies, this might mean softening their expectations for a perfect score and learning that it’s okay if they don’t know a vocabulary word or can’t solve a couple of math problems. For students who are striving for a mid-level score, this means determining which questions to spend their time on and which questions to skip and mark their back-up letter. When students know that they don’t have to get every question correct to “do well,” this can greatly reduce their anxiety. Parents can support this mentality by celebrating improvement instead of requiring a “high score” from their children and by avoiding comparisons with siblings or classmates.
For a student who has a lot of trouble meeting the academic demands of the test, realistic expectations might mean pivoting plans to apply to schools that are test-optional or don’t require high test scores. Fortunately, the US academic system includes options for a range of student learning styles and academic needs, at both the K-12 and college levels. While it’s helpful to teach children to set high goals and work towards them, parents should consider all schools that are a good match for their child rather than only looking at the most prestigious or “top-scoring” schools. When parents over-emphasize the test and over-stress the importance of getting a “good score,” it can put pressure on students and result in unnecessary physical and mental symptoms of anxiety.
While test anxiety is common, it is manageable and even helpful when matched with good preparation and realistic expectations. The test should be viewed as a tool to determine which skills a student should work on and which schools might be a good fit for the student. In this way, parents and test takers alike can make sure they are taking care of the whole child, not just the test score, and celebrating all of the child’s strengths and accomplishments.
