Tutoring to Reduce Test Anxiety

Jan 17, 2012 Jannelle Martel
The More You Know

Most students experience some jitters before taking a test every now and then and this is a normal reaction.  However, some students suffer from test anxiety, which means that they suffer extreme worry that can cause physical and mental symptoms.  These symptoms can cause a student’s mind to “go blank”, which can result in them doing poorly on a test even when they have the mental capacity to do well.  Luckily, there are many ways to tutor a student to reduce the effects of test anxiety.

Strategize: The first goal is to help your student to develop learning strategies and study skills.  Probably the most important thing to begin focusing on is understanding concepts instead of memorizing.  This will help the student in the long run, as it lends itself to deeper understanding that can be applied to a number of types of questions.  If you are tutoring the student in a particular subject, be sure to focus on strategies particular to that subject area.  For example, a student studying literature should learn to ask questions before and during reading, and then to answer their questions after reading.  It is also important to stress general study skills, such as studying on a regular basis for short amounts of time, and studying in a distraction-free area.

Plan: When a student tells you they have a test coming up, the planning process should begin.  Ask the student to write out information they have about the test, such as the test format and content.  I usually like to ask my student where they feel they need to focus their studying, and which areas they feel more confident in.  This is also a good time to give a practice test to assess the student’s strengths and weaknesses and give them an opportunity to take a test that will be similar to the real test under little to no pressure.  From this assessment, work with the student to outline a study schedule, including their time working with you.  It’s usually a good idea for the student to study on their own time and keep track of questions they have or concepts they are struggling with, so you can review these during your tutoring sessions and make the most of your time together.

Practice: Practice is a great way for students to reduce their test anxiety while preparing for the test.  Try to practice in an environment that is as similar to the testing environment as possible and has a similar time limit, to help students feel comfortable in this environment and learn how to pace themselves.  This is also a good time to discuss test taking strategies, such as approaches to multiple choice questions or essay guidelines.  I also suggest marking the practice tests, so the student can see how they are improving and how their study strategies are beneficial.  This can provide a much-needed confidence boost to help a student reduce their test anxiety and perform well on their exam.