End of Year Testing: Promoting Success and Managing Stress

Students of all ages, from elementary school through graduate school, are preparing to take final, SOL, and standardized exams in the coming weeks.  These tests are assigned incredible significance, especially as measures of student and teacher progress toward specific outcomes.   As the date of the assessments near there is increased focus on preparing for and scoring “well” on these measures.

For many students, the period of time prior to and during testing can be challenging.  They experience pressure and stress related to their preparation for and performance on the exams. Students want to demonstrate their knowledge effectively, please their parents and teachers, and achieve particular scores.  Some students become so concerned about being able to do so that they experience intense emotions, focus excessively on studying, doubt themselves and their abilities, feel overwhelmed, or feel anxious.

The strategies outlined below are designed to help parents support their students as they study and take exams.  They decrease test related stress and anxiety, as well as increasing student success on exams.

• Physical self-care.

Make sure your student does the following EACH day:
1. • Drinks at least 64 oz. of water
   • Sleeps 8-10 hours/night
   • Exercises 30 minute
   • Spends 20 minutes outside
   • Limits total screen time (tv, computer, phone, games, etc.) to 1 hour
   • Eats lots of fresh vegetables & fruits as well as whole grains
   • Limits caffeine, processed food, and artificial ingredients

2. Remind your student that a test is a single measure that assesses them on that particular day on that particular subject/material.It is important to help students remember that tests are NOT a representation of who they are, or even a true measure of their overall competence, their knowledge, or their abilities.  A test can only record information about that hour/day/content.  Parents can assist students by discussing, recognizing, and honoring the work their student has done in the past and throughout the current school year.  It’s important that parents validate, out loud, to their student, the student’s efforts to date, their accomplishments, and what they have done well.  Focus on all of their strengths, talents, and abilities, not just a test or tests.  Help your student to do this as well.

3. Create an environment which permits imperfection and mistakes. This is particularly important if your student struggles with test taking. As Thomas Edison said “I have not failed.  I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”  Each of us is a fallible human being.   Making mistakes is part of how we learn and grow.  It also helps us discover, often through experimentation and process of elimination, our interests, our strengths, and our purpose.  Giving permission to “not get it right” in every circumstance provides support when students are unable to perform on certain tasks or in certain subject areas.  Of course, parenting and providing support for our students also involves balancing this permissiveness with an expectation that our students do their personal best and perform well in areas of strength.  If your student is feeling discouraged and/or questioning or doubting themselves and their abilities, this video on “famous failures” is worth watching:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLYECIjmnQs

4. Encourage your student by letting them know you have faith in them.  Allow them to do the work and struggle while providing support and expressing your confidence in them.  Trust them!  Encourage them to trust and have faith in themselves.Click here for a great clip that illustrates this concept

5. Decrease Anxiety & Stress. Teach your student the following strategies:

• Progressive muscle relaxation – https://www.uhcl.edu/cmhc/resources/documents/visualization-files/txt-progressive-muscle-relaxation.pdf
• Guided imagery and/or meditation to help your student remain grounded & focused in the present moment. A great CD for this is “Ready, Set, Release” by Roger Klein & Jeffery Allen
• Deep breathing – https://www.webmd.com/balance/stress-management/stress-relief-breathing-techniques

6. Monitor & manage thoughts/self-talk. Teach your student to utilize the following strategies:

• Teach your student to stop any unhelpful thoughts as they occur by simply noticing them, saying “thinking”, and allowing the thoughts to pass through….let them go
• Affirmations (positive statements you can repeat to yourself each day) – Visit http://affirmyourlife.blogspot.com/2009/08/learning-affirmations.html for studying/exam affirmations. These can be said aloud each day, written in notes to your student, or posted in places your student will see them often.
• Perspective-taking or “the helicopter view”; considering situations from all possible viewpoints, examining the facts, and making decisions from an informed place. Visit http://www.getselfhelp.co.uk/helicopter.htm for more information.

7. Provide concrete, tangible support when your student is studying and on test days. Tell your student that you’ve noticed that they have been studying.  Describe the effort you have seen.  Hide notes with words of encouragement in your students’ bag or lunchbox so that they will find them on test day.  You might write “You’ve studied hard, so I know you’ll do well” or “Believe in yourself.”  On test day, let your student know you will be thinking of them at the time of their test.  Ask your student about their exam following the test.  Celebrate your student’s achievements after the test with a small treat.

8. Make sure your student has fun, plays, or does something that is of interest to them each day, especially as they are studying and testing:

• Tell jokes, laugh, encourage your student to use their sense of humor
• Encourage your student create something or express themselves in some way
• Encourage games, sports, or anything active

Kris Marowski is a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Virginia and a Registered Play Therapist. She has worked with children and families for over 10 years, providing play therapy, individual counseling, and family counseling. She specializes in working with children and parents that have survived abuse, car accidents, domestic violence, natural disaster, neglect, and/or sexual assault. Kris also has extensive experience working with children whose parents serve in the military and children whose parents serve as first responders. She has additional experience working with children experiencing anxiety and major life transitions.