Sofia was struggling. Despite understanding all the topics, she couldn’t even finish half the questions during a test.
She would start to get stuck. Her brain would loop. She would get very stressed out and then blank out.
Not just Sofia, but many students struggle with math anxiety.
Some want to quit; others want to rush through the test just to get it over with.
The following are steps I’ve taken to help students with preparing for the test and working with them to reduce their test anxiety. While each student is different, and what may work for one student doesn’t work for another, these are techniques I’ve tried.
- Come up with a plan prior to the test. Block out short study periods so that progress is being made without it being overwhelming. Use study skills to help with building up a strong math foundation.
- Work on building up memory. Study important items multiple times before the test date. Brain dump essential facts at the beginning of the test. Work on other memory techniques to help remember the most important facts.
- Practice working through example questions like the test in short spurts of time. This will mimic the stress level of the test, but in a shorter time so students can take a break before they get too anxious. Stop after 2-3 minutes if that is as much as possible, and slowly work up the time until it is as long as possible.
- Use specific techniques to break down the information when stuck. Cover up extra problems so you only work with one problem at a time. Learn strategies like when to move onto the next problem but also see the benefits of why this helps overall. Sometimes it’s really hard to move onto the next problem so it needs to be clear why moving on is so much better.
- Practice breathing techniques and have items like something that can be squeezed like a stress ball to help with managing the anxiety.
- Work on a mindset shift. How do you perceive math? What gives you fear or frustration? I personally share stories with students about how they are going on an adventure and how to look at the pieces of the problem as clues to lead them along their way. I try to give them another way of look at math, especially in a positive light.
- Positive self-talk. Talk positively about what next steps you are taking so that you get back in a rhythm of what comes next, and you don’t get bogged down by the confusion.
- Look for patterns. Are there particular types of problems you feel comfortable with, and others that make you particularly anxious? Congratulate yourself on the ones that you are good at, and work through the ones that you struggle with.
As for how well these strategies work? Well, every student is different, but for Sofia, they made a difference.
Sofia took her ACT test and got a higher score than she could have ever imagined. She went from not being able to finish half the questions on the test, to leaving the test feeling comfortable that she did well on the test.
This is what her mom said after the test, “Sofia thinks the ACT’s went well this past weekend, but doesn’t want to jinx it.
We told her she can take at least a few weeks off from working on prep work while we wait to see how her scores are and figure out if she will need to retake them. … I will keep you updated and let you know how she did and what the plan is. In the meantime THANK YOU for all of your patience and help!! It really helped boost her confidence and make her feel as though learning the concepts and getting a decent score on the math section wasn’t out of her reach.”
Sofia, we are proud of you and we hope that these steps will continue to help you feel confident and capable in all your math!
