How Practice Can Help Mitigate Test Anxiety

As part of our ongoing efforts in advancing student growth, ERB partners with Test Innovators to provide high-quality test preparation for the ISEE, our admission exam. Below, Sophie Brenner from Test Innovators shares her advice for alleviating test anxiety through practice.

Almost everyone can relate to the feeling of nervousness that pops up before or during an important test. Sweaty hands, a racing heart, stomach pain—these reactions can make it almost impossible to focus on the task at hand.

While it can be comforting to know we aren’t alone in experiencing anxiety before an upcoming exam, the question remains: Is there a way to prevent it?

Researchers agree that one of the most effective ways to reduce the frequency and symptoms of anxiety is by practicing ahead of time. Practice can mitigate test anxiety by helping students build familiarity with the test’s content, encouraging active retrieval of key concepts, and developing the confidence needed to perform their best.

What is test anxiety?

Before you can start to solve any problem, it’s important to first understand what you’re dealing with. Test anxiety is a type of performance anxiety that limits many students’ ability to perform their best on tests through a complex combination of physical, mental, and emotional symptoms.

Test anxiety can look different for everyone, but common symptoms include:

• Excessive sweating
• Nausea
• Rapid heartbeat
• Lightheadedness
• Overwhelming feelings of fear or hopelessness
• Inability to focus
• Racing thoughts
• Memory issues

What causes test anxiety?

When you’re floating in the sea of anxiety, it can be difficult to figure out where exactly it’s stemming from. Identifying the root cause of your test anxiety will be an important step in moving towards managing it.

A few main causes of test anxiety include:

Inadequate preparation

It’s difficult to approach any situation with confidence if you haven’t taken the time to prepare for it. When students spend little to no time studying the material beforehand, they’re more likely to experience feelings of anxiety on test day.

Perfectionism and fear of failure

Many students become anxious before tests because they are afraid of making mistakes or scoring poorly, something that has the potential of becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. Students who are accustomed to performing well on exams can be particularly at risk for developing testing anxiety due to the high expectations they set for themselves.

High pressure

If a student is facing intense pressure to perform well, whether it’s from a parent’s expectations or a specific grade needed to pass a class, they may become hyperfocused on the exam’s outcome. This kind of stress can make it difficult to stay calm and focused on test day.

How does practice help with test anxiety?

It’s clear that test anxiety can have a major impact on a student’s ability to perform well, but how can practice help mitigate it? Practice not only improves students’ knowledge—it also changes how the brain interprets the testing experience itself.

1. Familiarity reduces the fear of the unknown

Exams can feel threatening because of their unpredictability. Before an important test, students may worry:

• What kinds of questions will I see?
• Will I freeze under the time constraints?
• What if I blank on something I actually know?

This kind of uncertainty adds fuel to the test anxiety fire. Studies have shown that when the brain encounters an unfamiliar situation where the stakes feel high, it tends to interpret it as a potential threat. That perception activates our stress response, which can ultimately interfere with concentration and recall.

When students complete practice exams and engage in intentional practice regularly, the testing format and environment are no longer a mystery. The exam’s layout, pacing, and question types feel familiar, not like an unwelcome surprise.

Think about practice testing like exposure therapy: repeated, safe encounters with a seemingly scary situation reduce its emotional intensity over time. This means that students have the power to help shift the test from being an “unknown threat” to a “recognizable challenge”.

2. Active retrieval strengthens memory under stress

One of the most damaging effects of test anxiety is its impact on our working memory. Worrying or racing thoughts compete with the mental resources needed to retrieve information, resulting in what students often describe as “blanking out.” Practice that involves active retrieval directly counteracts this problem.

When students repeatedly pull information from memory during test practice (rather than just rereading or reviewing notes), they strengthen the neural pathways associated with recall. This phenomenon, known as the “testing effect,” has been consistently supported in cognitive science research.

Studies also suggest that information learned through retrieval practice is more resistant to stress. In experimental settings, participants who studied by practicing recall retained significantly more information after experiencing acute stress compared to those who used more passive study methods.

By practicing the act of recall under mild pressure (like with realistic, timed practice tests), students can effectively train their memory systems to operate in exam-like conditions. This reduces the likelihood of panic-induced memory issues during actual tests.

3. Consistent practice builds confidence

Students with high test anxiety often doubt their abilities, even if they’ve spent time preparing. This kind of self-doubt can fuel negative thoughts such as:

• “I’ll never be ready.”
• “I always mess up.”
• “Everyone else understands this better than I do.”

Consistent practice helps to disrupt this unhelpful narrative. When students test themselves regularly, they gather evidence of improvement. They see scores increase, identify weaknesses and correct them, and complete entire practice exams successfully. Each of these experiences reinforces powerful internal messages that remind the student of what they’re capable of.

Having prior successful experiences to reflect on can also make all the difference on test day. When students walk into an exam with memories of having navigated similar questions successfully during practice, those memories compete with thoughts that are based in fear.

What are some practice strategies that can reduce anxiety?

Understanding why practice works is important, but knowing how to practice effectively is what actually reduces anxiety. Here are some practice strategy options students can utilize before an exam to help reduce the likelihood of test anxiety down the line.

1. Take full-length practice tests

Setting aside time to take full-length practice tests will help you build your endurance and reduce the fear of the unknown. You’ll learn how long each section takes, when your focus dips, and how to manage your time effectively.

2. Practice under realistic conditions

To reduce anxiety effectively, practice should resemble the real testing environment as closely as possible. This means you’ll want to time yourself accurately, work in a quiet space with minimal distractions, and follow the same section order as the actual exam. If that sounds intimidating, slowly work your way towards a fully realistic practice setting by incorporating each element one at a time.

3. Review your mistakes strategically

Not all review sessions are created equal, so it’s important to be intentional with how you check your mistakes. Instead of simply noting the correct answer, explore follow-up questions like:

• Why did I miss this?
• Was it a content gap, a careless error, or a timing issue?
• Are there any patterns that I notice?

When possible, engage in targeted follow-up exercises that allow you to improve upon the skills that need it most.

4. Start early and practice consistently

When possible, begin practicing well before your exam date. Trying to cram before an important test will just increase any anxiety you may already be feeling. Instead, aim for frequent, shorter practice sessions with planned practice tests in between. Starting early will also give you time to learn test anxiety exercises that you can implement on exam day.

Test anxiety can be incredibly frustrating to experience, but there are tools you can use to reduce the impact of its effects on your tests. With thoughtful preparation and regular practice, students can approach their tests feeling prepared, confident, and ready to perform at their very best.

If you’re looking for ISEE practice, Test Innovators has you covered. Test Innovators offers full-length practice tests, detailed performance analytics, and additional targeted practice materials to help students get ready for test day.