Taking tests can be one of the most nerve-racking parts of being a student – and that goes for being the parent of a student, too. But, there’s hope. Employing some proven techniques to help study and reduce test anxiety can lead not only to huge improvement in test grades, it can also help your child better retain the knowledge they acquire in general. Check out our test taking guide for some easy, stress-free ways to improve your test taking abilities.
First, institute a no-cramming rule. Cramming is an ineffective studying strategy. People who cram tend to do worse on tests, retain less information in the long run, and are more anxious during test time. This is especially true when they lose sleep during a cram session. Studying a little bit every day will ensure the information studied is stored in your child’s long term memory, which is more reliable than short-term memory.
Creating practice tests or test-like scenarios is a great way to study, and will help reduce anxiety on test day. Anything from an actual practice test to quizzing your child on their notes will help. Practice testing is a great way for parents to get involved in the studying process. As a result, you can see which areas your child needs to work on and which they already have mastered. Having you holding them accountable for studying can also give them a small taste of test anxiety – not such a bad thing. If they get used to the feeling, they might not feel overwhelmed on test day.
Test anxiety is simply part of taking a test, but you can help your child keep it from totally incapacitating them. You can do this by simply putting some parental spin on things. Instead of viewing tests as obstacles that could potentially tank their grade, your child should view them as opportunities to show how much they’ve learned. Use this kind of language to talk about tests. Labeling the pre-test physical sensation as “excitement” instead of anxiety or nerves can be surprisingly helpful.
Although your child’s test-taking days will likely end when they graduate from school, life is full of high-pressure scenarios. Whether in university or at a job, they will probably be expected to perform their best. Mastering tests early in life – from proper preparation to managing day-of anxiety – is truly a skill that will aid them for the rest of their lives.
Here’s wishing your student lots of luck on their next exam – even though, if they study right, luck will have nothing to do with it.
Sources:
Cramming for a test? Don’t do it. – UCLA.edu
