Test Anxiety: What to Do Before the Next Exam

You knew the material at home. Then the test landed on your desk and your mind went blank. Does that mean you need to study harder, calm down, or find a better way to handle the pressure?

Start with a plan before exam day, not a promise that one quick trick will remove the anxiety. Research on writing out worries is much less convincing than early headlines suggested. More structured help has stronger support, although much of that research involves university students. For teens, the practical starting point is to identify the sticking point, rehearse a response and involve the school when the pattern keeps happening.

Does writing your worries down before a test help?

Did you know this popular idea began with genuinely promising research? A 2011 study by Ramirez and Beilock reported two laboratory and two randomized classroom experiments. Brief writing about testing worries before an important test improved performance, especially among students who usually felt anxious about tests.

But an early positive result is not the whole answer. A 2026 meta-analysis by O'Meara and Lovett combined 21 studies involving 1,457 participants. A single expressive-writing session did not reliably reduce test anxiety. A small apparent benefit for performance was no longer statistically clear after an extreme result was removed.

If writing helps you organize your thoughts, you can still find it useful. Just do not make it your entire plan for recurring test anxiety. And if you tried it and still froze, that does not mean you failed at relaxing. The overall evidence does not support relying on it as a treatment.

What has better support?

A 2019 review of 44 randomized trials, involving 2,209 university students, found that interventions reduced test anxiety and improved academic performance on average compared with control conditions. Behavioural approaches had the most support; cognitive behavioural therapy, study-skills work and combinations also showed promise.

These were varied interventions, and publication bias and weak reporting limit confidence. They were not a direct comparison with the writing review, and university findings do not automatically apply to younger teens. Still, together they support a reasonable decision: when anxiety keeps interfering, ask about help that addresses the pattern rather than searching for another last-minute hack.

Three things to prepare before the next exam

These practice prompts adapt the Test Anxiety workbook hosted by Here to Help, revised by a clinical psychologist in 2024. They are not a treatment programme.

1. Identify the moment that goes wrong

Ask: is it an unfamiliar question, a prediction about failing, or material you do not understand? Bring the specific example to your teacher. Different problems need different help.

2. Prepare a realistic response

Instead of insisting you will ace everything, try: "One difficult question does not decide the whole test." Pair it with an action: read the instructions again, then start a question you can answer, if the test format allows.

3. Rehearse, then review

Try the response while working through practice questions. Afterwards, note where you got stuck and what helped you continue. Use that information to ask for support before the next exam.

What can a parent say that is actually useful?

Here is a conversation starter, not scientifically tested wording: "You have put work into this. Walk me through what happened when the test started." Leave space for an answer that surprises you.

Perhaps your teen can explain the material but gets stuck when the first question feels unfamiliar. Or perhaps the material itself is unclear. Take those observations to the teacher instead of deciding that the problem must be effort or attitude. Ask what support is available and how to request it; do not assume any particular accommodation is automatic.

When to get more support in Alberta

If the distress repeatedly disrupts sleep, leads to avoiding school or stops a teen showing what they know, bring concrete examples to a school counsellor or healthcare professional. They can help assess what is going on and what support fits. A blog cannot tell you whether anxiety, learning difficulties or something else explains the problem.

Alberta Men's Counselling offers online counselling for teen boys across Alberta. Ask whether the service fits your teen's concerns and how parent involvement works. School-based help and counselling can address different parts of the same difficulty.

The takeaway

You do not need to discover a magic way to feel calm before you can ask for help. Identify what happens during tests, prepare one workable response and bring the pattern to someone who can help. A disappointing result from a quick trick is a reason to widen the plan, not blame yourself.

General education, not an individual assessment or treatment plan. Sources checked October 7, 2026.