THINKING ORGANIZEDNearly everyone who has gone to school has felt nervous before or during a test. Students, especially those who are organizationally challenged, often feel they have too much to study and that they cannot possibly understand the material in time for an upcoming test. Some children are calm in the days leading up to an exam, but fall apart while testing. How do you know if your child is experiencing test anxiety? Be on the lookout for these common symptoms:
- Physical signs of test anxiety include headaches, stomachaches, nausea, sleeplessness, faintness, dizziness, tense muscles, sweaty palms and trembling hands.
- Emotional symptoms may involve crying, getting frustrated quickly, growing angry or snapping at others.
Although some stress is normal (and even beneficial), experiencing severe anxiety can cause a student to blank out or have racing thoughts that interfere with test performance.
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