Princeton Review offers 10 tips for test anxiety, which can be found here. Many students struggle with testing anxiety, especially when the test is required for graduation. The ADAA claims that test anxiety can be caused by fear of failure, lack of adequate prep time, or bad experiences of testing in the past. Below are the tips that were found on the Princeton Review website:
Be prepared. This seems like common sense, but some students do not attempt to study or prepare for the STAAR test because they feel overwhelmed by it. Be sure that you have reviewed the provided materials and studied!
Get a good night's sleep. Sometimes it can be difficult to fall asleep on time before a test because you are so worried. Princeton Review suggested getting 9-10 hours of sleep before a test. I know that students may want to stay up playing games, texting friends, or maybe even doing some last minute studying... but the week of STAAR tests is not the week to do that! Treat your brain right and get a good amount of sleep before your test.
Fuel up. Eat something healthy before your test. If you eat something that is high in sugar or have an energy drink before your test you run the risk of "crashing".
Get to class - or testing site - early. Nothing is worse than running late when you have a big test! You may start to get stressed out and feel like you are rushed or in trouble. Make sure that you get to school on time for the STAAR tests.
Have a positive mental attitude. If we think we are going to fail, we will. People should believe in themselves - this will help them achieve more! Tell yourself you can do this, and remind yourself that you have prepared and you have put in the effort!
Read carefully. Don't rush through the reading passages. Make sure that you are reading questions carefully and returning to the text to double check your answers.
Just start. Sometimes our stress can make it difficult for us to begin our test. I suggest starting with the essay because it is usually the most difficult part for students. Before you begin your multiple choice sections, read the prompt and create your outline. Go do a multiple choice section or two before returning to your essay. What you have read may give you new ideas for your writing, or you could feel better having it already started!
Don't pay attention to what other people are doing. If you worry about everyone around you... you will get distracted and you may feel rushed! Pretend that no one else in the room exists.
Watch the clock. It is important to be aware of the time. The STAAR test is timed, so make sure you aren't spending 80% of the time on one story... then you will feel very rushed when you try to get through the rest! Don't obsess with the clock, but do make sure you are giving yourself a good amount of time for each section.
Focus on calm breathing and positive thoughts. One of the easiest ways to combat stress is to take deep and calm breaths. You can find videos on youtube that teach you breathing techniques for stress. Don't beat yourself up during the test and don't focus on any negative feelings. You can and will do this. You have prepared. You have put in the effort.
Taking the test in a certain order can actually help you do better on the test. Writing an essay can take a lot of brain power for most students, and the reading comprehension questions require a lot of actual reading! The revising and editing questions still require reading, but you aren't reading for comprehension -- you are reading to fix errors. I recommend taking the test in the following order:
Read the prompt, brainstorm, and outline.
Go to the restroom (even if you don't need to) for a short break.
Review your outline and write your essay.
Complete one of the reading passages and the questions associated with that specific passage.
Take a break.
Review your essay -- do you see any obvious mistakes?
Complete the remaining reading passages and questions associated with them.
Take a break.
Complete the revising and editing section of the test.
You have five hours to take this test, so use every second that you can! There is no reason any student should be done in the first hour. Don't feel rushed because other people have finished the test before you -- everyone is stuck in that room for the full five hours anyways!