Test anxiety is defined by ‘Very Well Minds’, a mental awareness website, as a psychological condition in which people experience extreme distress and anxiety in testing situations.
So can test anxiety make learners perform poorly?
Well according to Very Well Minds, yes. Test anxiety is when students experience anxiety before they write an exam and if it’s excessive, this can impact the performance of their test or examination.
Clinical Psychologist at the University of Pretoria, Sibongile Sibanyoni, says that test anxiety can either help a student study or prevent them from being able to study effectively. She says that sometimes, learners become extremely nervous and can’t remember what they have studied and that extreme anxiety can lead to depression.
“Some students develop physical and psychological symptoms because of test anxiety which includes sweating, rapid heartbeat, faintness, dry mouth, nausea and shaking. Learners who often experience test anxiety are either self-demanding or under a lot of pressure from their parents,” Sibanyoni said.
She said that learners become very worried when they do not perform well and others fail to prepare for their test on time and they become anxious. She suggested that in order to treat test anxiety, the root cause is the starting point.
“Students who demand a lot from themselves should be taught that a better strategy is to perform well rather than setting an impossible goal for themselves, which will not always be possible. If they are more realistic, they will be less prone to being anxious. For those who do not prepare well, they can look at how they can study more effectively. For example, they can develop a study routine and start early rather than waiting until the test date is closer. Learners should also be honest with themselves when they do not understand a concept and ask for help from their teacher,” Sibanyoni added.
Grade 10 learner, Junior Kau, said that he used to perform very well when he was in Grade 9. Kau who chose to follow the science stream says that he chose the subjects because of the opportunities available and performed above average in Mathematics, Science and Technology when he was in Grade 9. He said that he becomes very nervous when he is supposed to write a test and ends up forgetting what he has studied.
“I was advised by my parents to choose this stream because of the opportunities available after I complete matric. In 2023, I used to put in the extra work so that I can qualify to choose the stream but now I am nervous and often forget the basics of solving Mathematics equations. My teacher advised me to go back to my previous study method to try and improve my performance,” Kau said.
Sibanyoni said that it is advisable for learners to study what they are interested in and good at as it makes it natural for them to easily understand what they are being taught or studying.