For students, the anxiety of over-stressing about an upcoming test or project can hurt their academic performance, research shows.
When parents help their kids learn to manage that stress, sometimes referred to as “test anxiety,” their results can improve — and their healthier mindset gives them a better shot at growing into successful, well-balanced adults, says clinical psychologist Tram Huynh.
Allowing kids’ anxiety around tests and other potentially stressful tasks to go unchecked can “impact their self esteem, academic competence, how they select coursework, what college they’re going to apply to,” says Huynh, founder of the Arlington, Virginia-based Prep4mance, which offers programs to address students’ anxiety and performance issues around testing. “All of that’s [ultimately] impacting their mental health and their career trajectories.”
Kids may begin to feel anxiety over tests as early as third grade, and up to 40% of students experience some form of test anxiety, research shows. Huynh’s middle school-aged daughter already worries that any poor test grade could hurt her ability to attend a good college, Huynh says.
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