As we approach the month of March our students will getting ready for MCAS testing. During this time students may experience feelings of stress or worry. Low levels of stress before testing can actually help a student be focused and alert to the task at hand. However, some students may experience a more intense worry or anxiety which can negatively affect their focus, memory, and performance. Below are some symptoms, strategies, and resources for test anxiety.
Common Test Anxiety Symptoms

Physical Symptom - Headaches, nausea, dizziness or feeling too hot or too cold.
Emotional Symptoms - Crying easily, irritability or becoming easily distracted.
Behavioral/Cognitive Symptoms - Difficulty concentrating, issues with memory recall, racing thoughts, thinking negatively and comparing yourself to others.
Test Anxiety Strategies
Get enough sleep: MCAS tests require a lot of energy and stamina in order to be able to focus for several hours. Make sure you get at least 8 to 10 hours of sleep the night before the test.
Eat a hearty breakfast: The brain needs energy to maintain focus on a big test for several hours. Eat a hearty and healthy breakfast, including complex carbohydrates and protein to make your energy last as long as possible. Foods such as eggs, cereal, and whole-wheat toast help energize your brain to think more clearly and much longer compared with the fast-disappearing bolt of energy from drinking a soda or eating a cookie for breakfast. For a snack food, bring simple foods such as peanut butter and crackers, or cheese and crackers to sustain energy until lunch.
Watch what you're thinking: If expecting to do well on a test can help you relax, what about when people expect they won't do well? Watch out for any negative messages you might be sending yourself about the test. They can contribute to your anxiety. If you find yourself thinking negative thoughts ("I'm never any good at taking tests" or "It's going to be terrible if I do badly on this test"), replace them with positive messages. Not unrealistic positive messages, of course, but ones that are practical and true, such as "I've studied hard and I know the material, so I'm ready to do the best I can." (Of course, if you haven't studied, this message won't help!)
Accept mistakes: Another thing you can do is to learn to keep mistakes in perspective — especially if you're a perfectionist or you tend to be hard on yourself. Everyone makes mistakes, and you may have even heard teachers or coaches refer to mistakes as "learning opportunities." Learning to tolerate small failures and mistakes — like that one problem you got wrong on the math quiz — is a valuable skill.
Take care of yourself: It can help to learn ways to calm yourself down and get centered when you're tense or anxious. For some people, this might mean learning a simple breathing exercise. Practicing breathing exercises regularly (when you're not stressed out) helps your body see these exercises as a signal to relax.
Everything takes time and practice, and learning to beat test anxiety is no different. Although it won't go away overnight, facing and dealing with test anxiety will help you learn stress management, which can prove to be a valuable skill in many situations besides taking tests.
Calm creates calm: Student are very perceptive when it comes to reading adult emotion. If a student senses a feeling of anxiety in teachers or caregivers, they will feed off that emotion. Conversely, if a student sense calmness in their environment, they will more likely mirror that emotion as well. Empathize the importance of putting in maximum effort to the testing.
Student Support: If you are concerned about your student’s test anxiety, please contact our counseling staff for further assistance or suggestions. (
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Resources:
Mindful Exercises
Test Anxiety and Relaxation
Ten Tips for De-stressing Kids Prior to High Stake Tests