Test Anxiety

The substantial cases of anxiety diagnostics in modern society only seems to have increased within the past decade. It is estimated that 18.1%(1) of the American adult population suffers from this mental illness. Characterized by “persistent, excessive and unrealistic worry about everyday things,”(2) anxiety disorders have spread in a multitude of areas, taking on many facets. Recent advances have permitted understanding of various forms of this disorder, amidst GAD, social anxiety and test anxiety. Spielberger and Sarason (1989) are the first to have defined test anxiety as a stress state specific to examination situations.

Assessments and evaluations are principally unavoidable. Whether passing a driver’s licence, joining a varsity team or taking academic exams, all determine in someway or at least impact an individual’s future. The significant outcome of these tests, especially in the educational system, have largely effected students who are continuously competing against a growing number of qualified individuals for job opportunities. Therefore, it seems crucial, more than ever, to succeed at these exams which serve as a label to one’s capabilities. But how useful is it to know and understand all the material in a textbook if stress to perform impedes on test results? The widespread problem of test anxiety leads people in time-pressured situations to perform poorer on cognitive tasks.

According to Eysenck and Calvo (1992), individuals who worry and stress during examinations pay more attention to their feelings of self-doubt and get distracted from the task at hand. An anonymous student dealing with this explains: “ It’s like you cannot concentrate, sentences don’t seem to make sense, you cannot recall any information you knew a few seconds before and I’ve noticed my handwriting is all over the place.” The anxiety interferes with the mental capacity of the working memory system consequently decreasing exam performance. The fear of failure ironically increases the likeliness of completing the test poorly leaving the student with a grade which does not reflect his real understanding or effort put in studying the subject.

Although no effective method to evaluate students to their most accurate potential yet exists, developing a system by which they could chose their preferred method of evaluation seems closer to a fair grading system. For instance, someone who feels more comfortable orally could chose to answer questions to an evaluator, another who feels pressured by the countdown could have unlimited time or those who stress because of their classmates could do the test alone. Changing the education system’s structure is no easy task, but if we wish to attain a realistic evaluation of students and possibly reduce exam related stress, this is a path to examine.

(1)Kessler RC, Chiu WT, Demler O, Walters EE. Prevalence, severity, and comorbidity of twelve-month DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R). Archives of General Psychiatry, 2005 Jun;62(6):617–27.

(2)Gornall, Jonathan. “The Long Read: The Puzzling Growth of Anxiety in the Modern Age.” The National. N.p., 19 Mar. 2015. Web. 25 Jan. 2016. <http://www.thenational.ae/arts-lifestyle/well-being/the-long-read-the-puzzling-growth-of-anxiety-in-the-modern-age>.

Mediagraphy

• “Anxiety Disorders.” Canadian Mental Health Association, n.d. Web. 25 Jan. 2016. <https://www.cmha.ca/about-cmha/copyright/>.
• “Facts & Statistics.” Anxiety and Depression Association of America. ADAA, Sept. 2014. Web. 25 Jan. 2016. <http://www.adaa.org/about-adaa/press-room/facts-statistics>.
• Gornall, Jonathan. “The Long Read: The Puzzling Growth of Anxiety in the Modern Age.” The National. N.p., 19 Mar. 2015. Web. 25 Jan. 2016. <http://www.thenational.ae/arts-lifestyle/well-being/the-long-read-the-puzzling-growth-of-anxiety-in-the-modern-age>.
• Orfus, Shauna. “The Effect Test Anxiety and Time Pressure on Performance.” The Huron University College Journal of Learning and Motivation. N.p., 2008. Web. 25 Jan. 2016. <http://ir.lib.uwo.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1040&context=hucjlm>.