4 Tips to Managing Stress Around The STAAR Test and More
February 16, 2018
Test anxiety impacts many students of all ages. Even the most seemingly prepared student who has kept on top of their studies can struggle with stress when taking a test.
Test anxiety is a type of performance anxiety. It can occur when doing an activity where performance is heavily weighted. Beyond test taking, it is the same anxiety a person may feel when trying out for a school play or a sports team.
Students in Texas are familiar with the stress that can occur around standardized testing, like the STAAR test. For help coping with stress on standardized tests or general test anxiety in your child, here are a few tips on the different ways you can help manage test anxiety in your student:
- 1. Set goals to be satisfied with performance rather than get the highest grade
This way, your child is not as focused on the ‘what ifs’ of failure, but instead satisfied with doing their best.
- 2. Sleep!
A good night’s sleep the night before an exam will help your child think more clearly and focus.
- 3. Better studying strategies
Knowing the test format is an easy way to take away the feeling of shock when students are handed an exam. Whether it’s multiple choice, true or false, or short answer, knowing the test format will influence the way your fearless learner tackles studying for different testing styles.
Breaking up your studying into manageable chunks over a period of days or weeks helps to eliminate the stress that cramming for an exam can cause.
- 4. Break things up
If a question stumps you, sometimes answering the questions in a different order, like last to first, may help to break up the routine and help ease anxiety.
At Explore Horizons, we offer a variety of resources for both students and parents that are designed not to overwhelm you or your fearless learner, but to prepare you for what to expect. We offer free community workshops, and map all of our curriculum to the TEKS to complement what your child is already learning in the classroom. This way, we cover not only core skills, but also applied skills which are fundamental to success in the classroom and on a standardized test.
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