Exam anxiety

Very few people let go of exams because exam situations can involve a risk of failure. This is why stage fright and nervousness before exams are normal. If those affected flee from this situation because of this, it is a serious one Exam anxiety the speech.

What is exam anxiety?

Some people react to the announcement of an exam with inner restlessness and feelings of fear, sometimes several weeks before the exam up to the exam day.
© fizkes– stock.adobe.com

Exam anxiety is a special kind of fear that is linked to situations in which people have to prove their ability and technical knowledge. The more it depends on passing the exam, the greater the fear. The fear of possible failure can paralyze examinees in an examination situation to such an extent that the knowledge they have learned can no longer be accessed.

It can lead to a blackout in which tasks can no longer be mastered and errors are made out of sheer excitement, although the examination material has actually been mastered. It can be the exam itself that creates fear, the preparation for the exam, the exam situation itself, fear of failure, of the examiners or of being overwhelmed.

causes

Exam anxiety is widespread and can have different causes. In most cases it is an acquired fear due to previous bad exams or the examinee himself or those around him have increased expectations. Anyone who has had the experience in the course of their life that they cannot please others and has been punished if the desired performance has not been achieved can, based on this experience, assess situations in which performance is required as threatening situations.

The same can happen to people whose parents were concerned about what neighbors and relatives might think of them. In this way they learn to follow the expectations of others and not develop their own standards. Previous negative experiences weaken self-confidence and exam situations trigger fears from now on. A general negative expectation can also play a role (self-fulfilling prophecy).

Symptoms, ailments & signs

Exam anxiety is a mixture of physical and emotional complaints. Some people react to the announcement of an exam with inner restlessness and feelings of fear, sometimes several weeks before the exam up to the exam day.

A distinction must be made here between normal test anxiety and test anxiety that may require therapy. Normal exam anxiety leads to adequate preparation for the exam. If the test anxiety is very strong, it can lead to a depressive mood and a strong insecurity.

Difficulty concentrating, a blocked memory and negative thought loops can mean that what you have learned cannot be accessed. In addition, physical symptoms such as profuse sweating, shivering or tremors, headaches, high blood pressure and sleep disorders often occur. Some even have to take sedative medication.

Diagnosis & course of disease

Careful diagnostics are required to differentiate between normal nervousness and severe test anxiety. Sufferers usually have a long period of suffering before they seek professional help. The symptoms of insomnia, concentration problems and physical problems such as profuse sweating and tremors are not sufficient indicators of test anxiety, because these symptoms also occur in other anxiety disorders such as social phobia.

Since various factors usually interact with exam anxiety, it is not easy to diagnose and requires detailed discussions and narrowing down what exactly triggers the anxiety during the exam. The most important diagnostic tools are therefore questions to be asked of those affected, possibly also special diagnostic questionnaires. The fear can only be treated meaningfully if the actual fear trigger can be narrowed down.

Complications

While a mild test anxiety usually does not necessarily have a negative effect, but can even help candidates prepare adequately for an exam, a strong test anxiety has exactly the opposite effect. In severe cases, those affected suffer from symptoms such as general malaise, loss of appetite, diffuse anxiety and insomnia months before the exam date.

Those affected feel discouraged and are convinced that they will not be able to cope with the examination material. In extreme cases, physical symptoms such as high blood pressure, hot flashes and chronic headaches also occur. Concentration disorders in connection with a blocked memory and negative thought loops then ensure that what has been learned cannot be accessed and that negative expectations are fulfilled.

Those affected are then no longer able to free themselves from this negative cycle and absolutely need professional help. Preferably from a psychotherapist who specializes in the disorder. Another typical complication of exam anxiety is depression, which usually requires both medication and therapy.

Some sufferers develop a burn-out syndrome, which is associated with complete physical and mental exhaustion.In these cases, the recovery process usually takes several months. Patients are almost always forced to interrupt their education.

When should you go to the doctor?

If symptoms such as rapid heartbeat, dry mouth, nausea, dizziness or tightness in the throat occur before an exam or a public appearance, it is often test anxiety. A visit to the doctor is advisable if the symptoms reappear in similar situations. If the fear of the exam has a negative effect on performance, medical advice is also required. People who have an anxiety disorder or have physical conditions that make the condition worse should speak to a professional about symptoms.

The right place to go is a psychologist or psychotherapist. A yoga class or physical therapy can help reduce internal pressure. Chronic test anxiety may be caused by a mental illness that needs to be treated. If a circulatory collapse occurs as a result of the fear of the exam, the emergency doctor must be called in. The person concerned should receive extensive medical treatment and examination to rule out physical causes. A panic attack also requires a therapeutic work-up together with a psychologist or another person of trust.

Treatment & Therapy

People with great test anxiety can go a long way toward relieving themselves of the most pressure. An important prerequisite for reducing anxiety is intensive study and practice before the exam. That gives inner security. Instead of constantly thinking about a possible failure and maneuvering into a hopelessness, they could encourage themselves that they can pass the test.

Since a healthy mind lives in a healthy body, it is important to also take care of the body, to eat well and, if necessary, to practice long-term relaxation procedures. Last-minute learning is counterproductive and increases anxiety; it is more helpful to take the exam day calmly. In the exam itself, it helps to tackle the easier tasks first and then solve the more difficult ones at the end.

Very nervous people should be aware that an exam is not about life and death, but in the worst case about a bad grade or a repetition of the exam. Those who suffer from extreme suffering can have herbal sedatives prescribed or seek therapeutic help. A certain nervousness is part of it, otherwise nobody would probably take on the study.

You can find your medication here

➔ Medicines for panic attacks and anxiety

prevention

The most important prevention is adequate preparation for the exam. Those who have mastered the subject matter gain inner security and dare to take the exam more easily. Another way to reduce anxiety is to learn relaxation techniques. With regular exercise, they can be effective in reducing anxiety. It is also helpful to be asked by other people. In this way it becomes clear what has already been mastered and what still needs to be learned.

Aftercare

Even if the test anxiety has been successfully treated, it can relapse at a later point in time. Therefore, after completing therapy, it makes sense to train the strategies you have learned over and over again. As a rule, the patient has also learned to recognize in the course of therapy what intensifies his fear. These unfavorable anxiety intensifiers can often be avoided in a targeted manner.

If avoidance is not possible or does not make sense, the patient can confront the fear in a targeted manner. The exercises and ways of thinking learned during therapy help. If the anxiety worsens again over time, further therapy may be useful. Especially if the examination situation occurs again after a long period of time without an examination, it may be necessary to refresh the therapy content.

Even after successful therapy, some patients tend to bypass exams, for example by not advancing as professionally as they could. The fact that this is an avoidance tactic is often denied. Here it is important that those affected are honest with themselves and that they actively question whether their test anxiety really no longer has a decisive influence on their lives.

You can do that yourself

Mild test anxiety can often be overcome through self-help. In doing so, it is important not to avoid the situations that cause fear, as avoiding them will aggravate the anxiety disorder. First of all, those affected can analyze their hierarchy of fear. The question is: Which situations trigger fear? Typical points are:

• waiting just before the exam
• the evening before or the morning before the exam
• the test itself
• studying before the exam
• registration for the exam
• think about the exam

Other situations related to the exam may arise. In the personal fear hierarchy, the fear triggers are sorted according to how strongly they cause fear. This order does not have to follow any logical criteria.

There are two basic approaches to self-help with exam anxiety. One is based on enduring fear without aids. The other approach uses techniques that can reduce anxiety. A kneading ball or a smelling oil, for example, can be useful here. Whenever possible, those affected first expose themselves to the situation that causes the least fear. You can only imagine the situation for now. The confrontation is only over when the fear has completely subsided.

This exercise should not be stopped prematurely, as stopping it can worsen the anxiety disorder. If you have severe test anxiety, it makes sense not to conduct this confrontation yourself, but to seek therapeutic help. Behavioral therapists often work with the method described here, but can provide targeted support and prepare the patient for the confrontation. Regular relaxation exercises can also reduce anxiety.