Exam anxiety
Exam anxiety
GCSE and A Level Exam anxiety:
What is it and can exam centres, Tutors and Exams do anything about it?
GCSE and A Level Exam Anxiety is not Exam Stress
The difference between the two is key.
Exam stress isn’t a bad thing and can be an energising energy especially for GCSE and A level exam candidates. Typically a high number of candidates thrive under it. Whereas and critically some exam candidates are crushed by it. It is this that turns into Exam Anxiety.
It is this second group of exam candidates we should be considered about.
We know that GCSE and A level Exam Anxiety in the group that is crushed by the impending exams at best makes under performance a given and at worst it propels the exam candidates to self harm.
Exam anxiety caused low exam scores because the anxiety plays with the working memory and overall capacity of brain. Basically filling it up with the wrong sort of info. While clogging up the working memory. RAM in computer terms.
It is not uncommon for exam anxious to go blank in exams. Irrespective of how much revision they have done - Check the exam blog on active recall.
Exam anxiety is the frequency to experience nearly all exams as something close to life threatening. Massively increasing their stress levels around exams.
Typical symptoms include but not exclusively:
Freezing during an exam, Difficult to concentrate, Remembering answers only after an exam has completed consistent dark thoughts about past performance in exams Dark and negative thoughts about the consequences of not doing well in the exams Body excessive tension Undue panic Wild feeling of overwhelmed Failure to feel any sort of control Rise in the heart beat. Struggling to swallow Extra ordinary Sweating And so on.
Plus disengagement or even procrastination in revision
While total withdrawal from studies is not uncommon.
Fear of failure is a big part of GCSE and A level Exam Anxiety
What can schools do about it? Although the proportion of students recently reporting high levels of test anxiety doesn’t appear to have increased significantly over the past decade, there’s a much greater awareness among school practitioners of students who are unable to cope effectively with the demands of high-stakes exams.
What can we do about it
Lots of different methodology. All of which has one aim. To reduce the level of anxiety. Try and take the exam candidates mind off the impending exam series.
Aim to normalise the exams. I.e. practice the exams through GCSE and A level exam mocks. regular and often.
Do over assume that exam candidates are zen. Find out how if they are internalising their exam anxiety.
Talk talk talk and get the conversation flowing around the topic of the exams.
Discuss helpful hints like breathing and mindfulness.
Show them how to revise successfully. Use active recall methodology.
Regular, informal and frequent
If intervention is effective it must be targeted and caught early.
Educational Mental Health Practitioners can be on hand. Work the local relationships to help with the intervention.