Imagine a student walking into a class they know they have a test in. They’ve studied and prepared for it, and although they’re a little nervous, they tend to shake off these nerves; or so they think. As the teacher is passing out the test, they go through in their head all of the things they studied last night. They feel ready, and think that the test is going to be easy-peasy.

The teacher hands out their test, they lift their pencil, and suddenly everything in their head goes blank. They start to get sweaty, they’re heart feels like it’s going to pound out of their chest, and their breathing starts to pick up speed. They ask themselves, “Why am I so anxious?”. 

These are just a few of the symptoms of test anxiety among students. 

According to UNC, test anxiety is a combination of physical symptoms and emotional reactions that interfere with your ability to perform well on tests. Although test anxiety is most common among students in school, people can see test anxiety come out in anyone who struggles with nervousness before a test.

The students at Arvada West High School witness this often firsthand. Caitlyn Ngyuen, a sophomore at Arvada West, speaks on this issue. 

“At the beginning of this year, I was frightened by one of my physics tests. Although I was confident I knew the content, I felt like everything I put down was wrong. As a result of that, I ended up taking too long on my multiple-choice questions, and I had to rush some of my answers on my free response. That definitely cost me points on it. The stress and anxiety got to me, and that’s when I started to overthink everything.”

Nguyen shows that this issue is a clear example of how many students at Arvada West struggle with this preventable issue. Ngyuen continues to provide a different perspective that can be relatable to other students, claiming that- “I used to feel some test anxiety but nowadays it’s actually gone away. I usually only feel nervous when it’s a really big test- like an AP Calc unit exam. Other than that, I’ve stopped feeling test anxiety after teaching myself that test grades don’t define you or your worth,” Ngyuen remarks. 

Although this is a contrasting point of view, the issue of test anxiety within students offers a lot of layers to the issue. Arvada West senior Trillium Landreth expresses her opinion, “Mainly with the SAT, people made that test out to be something that will make or break my future. And honestly, I did do badly on it, but that one “major” test is the least of my concerns now.”

Landreth states that a test that was made out to be very important, is the least of her concerns now, which is a standpoint not a lot of students take, but can be applicable to the right people. 

Junior Aly Carpenter very eagerly notes her side of this matter, “Anytime before my Spanish tests we learn so much, and then when it comes to the test I get so stressed out, I can’t even focus or remember anything I studied.”

Like most students who encounter test anxiety, Carpenter provides an explanation as to why test anxiety can be so common, especially when teachers cram in work days before the test or quiz. 

So the question still remains; what can anybody do about test anxiety? Test anxiety can be prevented in fairly easy ways. It can be preventable through encouraging comments made by teachers, and other students, letting students know that they are all capable of completing the test proficiently. 

A student’s true use of intelligence is not based solely on memorization. Finals is a good example of this. Finals should be measured on a project, where students can use resources from the semester to help them not only get a good grade but also to help students understand why they are learning what they’re learning. Tests are based on studying ability, a ticking clock, and memorization capability. Projects have the potential to be done over time, using correct resources. Projects can show a student’s true aptness and work ethic, which is useful in the real world as well. 

All in all, test anxiety is very real and can be prevented in uncomplicated ways. Teachers as a whole need to be aware of their student body, and notice that a few students might struggle with test anxiety.