Whether it is just a standard test or an important end of the year final test, it can still be stressful for a lot of students in schools everywhere. The pressure of passing the test and especially the class can cause you to feel more stressed and pressured that can also affect you academically. Studying, preparing, taking notes, and getting ready for the official test day can be a lot of pressure on a student. These tests do not just depend on passing, but also the fact that those tests can all change their future in a big way. Especially when they are trying your best to succeed in the future as well. These stressful thoughts can get in the way of students doing their best.  

When students in high school make their main priority passing all their tests and classes, stressing and worrying tend to make the situation harder to get through. According to psychologist Dr. Cristina A. Scatigno, “What I have noticed a great deal is that kids can put a tremendous amount of pressure on themselves to succeed.” Passing these tests can be very important for most students because it means good grades, measuring their learning throughout the school year, and can lead to a successful future.  

Students near the date of testing tend to feel more stressed when they are trying to get their grades and studying in order. This is when they tend to cram most of their work in as fast as they can while also studying and preparing for the final exam, but not focusing on the learning itself. As claimed by Brain Connection, “The byproduct of years of testing has caused students to believe that good grades are more important than understanding –that high scores rather than the cultivation of the mind is the purpose of schooling.” The pressure of keeping grades up and doing well in school can get in the way of learning. And, not focusing on learning can affect how you do during testing.  

In some cases, just taking tests in general can make a student’s very anxious and can affect how they work and scores. It is better to know what it is and where it comes from to better understand it. According to Verywell Mind, “Test anxiety is a psychological condition in which people experience extreme distress and anxiety in testing situations.” This can get in the way of your learning for some students that get more anxiety than others taking tests. It also changes your performance taking tests for these students, sometimes making it hard to get through it easier than most and keep them from doing their best performance.  

Test anxiety can also get in the way of the student’s concentrating and putting their best knowledge into the exam. Studying and preparing can take a lot of time and effort so they can do a good job on the test. “This inability to concentrate and recall information then contributes to even more anxiety and stress, which only makes it that much harder to focus your attention on the test.” This is an example of the anxiety affecting their test performance, causing it to get in the way of getting a good grade. Even though getting through that stress on the test day can be difficult at times because of the pressure of passing and other things, students can always power through it with their goal in mind.