Exam anxiety lowers academic success

Expert Psychologist Tansel Tara Çapar provided important information regarding exam anxiety, which many students experience, defined as "a situation that prevents the student from showing their true performance, contains descriptive and behavioral characteristics, and causes the child to feel negative emotions."

Stating that exam anxiety causes a drop in performance by preventing children from using the information they have learned during the exam, Çapar also emphasized that it brings psychological problems along with it.

Pointing out that feelings of "restlessness, worry, uneasiness, and distress" become prominent in a child with exam anxiety, Psychologist Çapar said, "Reluctance to study, nausea, abdominal pain, dry mouth, tachycardia, and similar symptoms can be observed. They may express that they cannot concentrate, and a decrease in self-confidence and feelings of worthlessness may be encountered. Disruptions in sleep and appetite may be seen. A noticeable drop in the child's grades is observed. They may constantly procrastinate on studying and refuse to talk about the process before and after the exam. They are largely uncomfortable with being asked questions about school, lessons, and exams. It is known that children with exam anxiety experience low performance despite working very hard. Students focus on themselves instead of the content of the exam. For this reason, they cannot transfer their knowledge, cannot understand what they read, and may have difficulty organizing their thoughts".

Psychologist Çapar mentioned that most students see exams as a test that measures their personality, and stated that it is necessary to remind them that exams measure knowledge, not personality.

Stating that otherwise, children will see the thought of failure as a threat and their anxiety will increase, Psychologist Çapar said that the factors affecting exam anxiety are "genetic factors, incorrect education given within the family, internal conflicts in the individual, and anxiety as a learned response."

She added that one of the reasons that create anxiety in children is "subconscious fears"; although individuals generally tend to forget, suppress, and deny their first memories that are the source of fear, these fears emerge as anxiety.

Emphasizing the importance of a supportive attitude from families and teachers toward the child, Psychologist Çapar said, "A child with exam anxiety may criticize themselves with unrealistic thoughts such as 'What if I don't succeed', 'I won't be able to win', 'What if I faint during the exam', 'I won't be able to do it'. Moods such as distraction, inability to focus, anxiety, and restlessness can be felt in the child. Looking at physical symptoms; nausea, increased heart rate, sweating, trembling, etc. symptoms can be seen. Since negative automatic thoughts and environmental pressure play a role in the formation of this anxiety, the supportive attitude of families and teachers toward the child is very important".

"WITHOUT COMPARING WITH OTHER CHILDREN..."

Mentioning that high expectations from families can also lead to anxiety, Psychologist Çapar explained that children who receive support from their families, friends, and teachers are motivated and increase their success. Underlining that parents' expectations of their children should be realistic, Psychologist Çapar stated: "Families should display empathetic and understanding approaches toward the child, not comparative, authoritarian, critical, and oppressive attitudes. If the family's goals are realistic and achievable, exam anxiety in children reaches a controllable level."

"PRACTICE EXAMS ALLOW CONTINUING WITHOUT LOSING MORALE"

Emphasizing that breathing and relaxation exercises help in coping with exam anxiety by providing relaxation and focus, Psychologist Çapar stated that accepting and trying to recognize anxiety instead of ignoring and suppressing it is a method that reduces anxiety. She added that according to research, practice exams, which have positive effects on the child's confrontation with exam anxiety, improve the ability to continue without losing morale when faced with questions that cannot be answered.

Psychologist Çapar pointed out that another factor is sleep patterns and said, "We can liken the exam year to a marathon. For this reason, going to bed at an appropriate time and waking up rested in the morning allows the child to store energy. Another factor that reduces exam stress is exercise. For this reason, students are encouraged to exercise regularly. Exam anxiety can be related to psychological problems. With psychotherapy, the causes of students' exam anxiety are determined and sessions are structured around these. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helps students replace their negative thoughts and beliefs with functional and constructive thoughts toward the exam. This therapy method gives the student the skill to cope with exam stress".