Your heart races. Your breathing increases. Your mind races, telling you to run.

The nerve-wracking feeling of the anticipation of a test can consume you, making it hard to complete the exam that you worked so hard to prepare for. It's frustrating when you focus all your energy on studying, only to stare at a question, unable to recall anything because you are so anxious in the moment taking the test.

Test anxiety is common and unfortunately, it can affect your test scores despite how much you study. The thought of an upcoming test can make it hard to concentrate on the material in front of you and do well. But test anxiety does more than just impair your focus. It's the feeling that you will fail, that you are also not prepared, and more important, the fear of the unknown of what will be on the test.

To overcome test anxiety, you first should recognize that it's a problem. If you feel anxious and worried before a test, or get to a test and forget everything you just studied, causing you to miss questions you know the answers to because you are worried about doing well, then you probably have test anxiety. From my experience, test anxiety is self-created and is a result of your own stress, worry, and panic that you will not do well.

As finals are coming up, your grade will probably be determined by one test, making you susceptible to test anxiety. But, test anxiety can be managed and shouldn’t prevent you from being successful in school. I have found that beating test anxiety is possible, but you must be committed to changing your mental outlook on taking a test.

Before the test, write down everything you are worried about.

I have found that this is the best way to combat test anxiety, and often do this before every test. I write down everything I am feeling, including my fears, why I am worried about the test, how I think I will perform, what I think will be on the test, and words of encouragement to help me do well.

Take deep breaths

When you are taking a test, or sitting there waiting for it to be handed out, you can tense up and forget to breathe. The lack of oxygen you get to your brain can impair your judgment and make it hard to think clearly, so taking deep breaths can instantly relax you.

Actually prepare for the test.

Sometimes, you can be so nervous that you don’t know what to study. Or maybe you are nervous because you didn’t study. If you study in advance and feel prepared for the test you are about to take, you will know that you are ready to use the information you studied and apply it to the test, rather than panic even more by not being prepared.

Visualize yourself succeeding and getting a good grade.

If you visualize yourself getting the test back with the grade you want, it will mentally help you to feel like you can succeed after taking the test and that there is nothing to worry about.

Get some rest.

It can be easy to stay up late studying or lay awake at night with racing thoughts about the test you are taking the next day. It's important to be rested and sleep so you can be fresh for the test. This will also help to lower your stress because you will not be sleep deprived and anxious about the test.

Recognize the lessons you can learn from failure.

So maybe you were too anxious and didn’t do as well as you thought. Failing can help you to do better next time and recognize that there is something you should change about what you are doing to get better.

Remember that it's just a test.

When you have test anxiety, it never feels like just a test. It instead feels like everything is riding on this test, and if you fail your life will be over. But it's just a test that you have to take for a class, and you should recognize that rather than let the thoughts of the test consume you. All you can do is to give your best effort, and know that hard work pays off in the end.

Listen to some music to pump you up.

Make a playlist of your favorite songs and listen to it before the test to empower you to do well when you take the test. It will get your mind off the test and help you to focus on feeling positive and like you will succeed.

Seek professional help.

If your anxiety is inhibiting your academic performance, you may want to seek professional help. Most universities offer this help for students through testing resources or therapy to support you in getting the help you need.

Test anxiety affects your mental health in ways that can hurt your academic performance. Feeling like you will fail, panicking about what will be on the exam, or feeling like you aren’t prepared can make it hard to do well. Taking control of your mental health can help to improve your test scores and make taking a test easier.