With the new school year well underway, many teens are already feeling the pressure of tests, quizzes, and exams. While it’s normal for kids to want to do well in school, exam stress can quickly turn into full-blown anxiety, leading to myriad additional mental and physical health problems.
At Liz Morrison Therapy, we know how challenging it can be to navigate the demands of adolescence and academics. Our clinicians specialize in therapy for teens, working with those who experience anxiety, intense pressure to succeed, and fears of failure. Understanding the signs of exam stress and why it happens can help you and your child figure out how to manage it in a healthy, productive way.
What is Exam Stress?
“Exam stress” is the emotional, physical, and psychological strain that teens experience around academic evaluations like tests, quizzes, exams, or grades in general. It’s a common culprit for teen anxiety, and the accompanying stress can range from slight nervousness to overwhelming anxiety that impairs daily functioning.
Stress isn’t necessarily a bad thing: manageable levels of it help motivate teens to focus, do well, and feel good. However, too much stress can have the opposite effect. High levels of stress and anxiety reduce a teen’s ability to succeed, often creating or worsening mental health issues in the process.
Your teen might experience exam stress during major standardized tests, but even routine quizzes and exams can trigger intense pressure and strain. Unfortunately test anxiety, like any other type of anxiety, isn’t likely to go away on its own. Instead, it can get worse if left unchecked.
Signs and Symptoms of Exam Stress
As a parent, trying to help your child when they’re struggling can be incredibly painful and overwhelming. It’s not easy to know how to best support them, especially if you don’t have a full picture of what’s going on. Recognizing the signs of exam stress early can allow you to help your teen develop useful coping strategies and prevent it from escalating.
Here are some common warning signs to look out for in your child:
Physical Symptoms
Stomachaches and gastrointestinal problems
Headaches or migraines
Difficulty sleeping, including insomnia or hypersomnia
Changes in appetite (eating more or less than usual)
Fatigue, lethargy, or lack of energy
Restlessness or inability to sit still
Emotional and Mental Symptoms
Complaining about grades, quizzes, or tests
Irritability or mood swings
Feelings of overwhelm or hopelessness
Difficulty with concentration and memory
High levels of self-criticism
Extreme fear of failure or judgment around grades or performance
Exceptionally high standards for themselves
Study avoidance, such as refusal to do homework or open textbooks
Poor time management or procrastination
Symptoms of exam stress can look a lot like general anxiety or depression. If your teen seems unusually anxious about academic evaluation or avoids schoolwork entirely, test anxiety might be the underlying issue.
Causes of Test Anxiety in Teens
Here are four frequent causes of test anxiety in teens:
External Pressure to Excel: Teens often feel intense pressure to excel in school and extracurriculars, whether from parents, teachers, or peers. The expectation to get top grades can cause a teen to develop anxiety and black-and-white thinking, where they worry that anything less than perfect is a failure. This pressure can extend to small quizzes, homework, and everyday schoolwork, turning even ordinary routines into high-stress situations.
Fear About the Future: Many teens worry that their performance in school will determine their future opportunities, such as getting into the college they want or landing a good job. This long-term fear heightens the stakes of every quiz or test, making even small assessments feel like critical milestones that could make or break their future success.
Academic Perfectionism: Around 30% of teens struggle with academic perfectionism, which means they hold themselves to unreasonably high standards in their schoolwork. If your teen has rigid beliefs about failure vs success, tends to think in all-or-nothing terms, and is highly self-critical, they may be an academic perfectionist.
Fear of Judgment: Adolescence is rife with the desire to fit in and belong. Teens are exceptionally vulnerable to fear of judgment, whether by parents, teachers, or peers. This fear can further fuel anxiety and exam stress. Teens may feel like their worth or lovability is tied to their academic success, causing stress about how others perceive their performance. The worry of being seen as "less than," unworthy, or disappointing can make exam stress even more intense and overwhelming.
These pressures can easily escalate if left unchecked. The more your teen experiences these stressors, the more they may begin to avoid studying or preparing for tests altogether. This avoidance creates a cycle of anxiety and procrastination, where fear of failure grows, and exams become even more daunting.
By identifying these underlying causes, you can support your teen in breaking free from these patterns and developing healthier approaches to managing academic stress.
How to Beat Exam Stress: Top Tips
Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to help your teen manage exam stress and feel more confident as they face academic challenges. Here are a few tips to encourage your teen to try.
Get Organized Early: A big factor in exam stress is feeling unprepared. Help your teen develop a schedule that spreads out their workload over time. This will enable them to create study sessions with friends or peers, get extra support from their teacher ahead of time, and review materials well in advance of the assessment. Also, encourage them to take breaks during their study sessions so their brains have a chance to recharge. Organization and breaks reduce last-minute cramming, which often makes anxiety much worse.
Use Effective Study Strategies: Not all study methods work for every student. Try a variety of different strategies with your teen, like flashcards, explaining concepts to a friend or family member, or even acting out a summary of the material. Get creative with it! The goal is to find a method that makes the material stick and reduces feelings of helplessness and overwhelm.
Reframe Failure: Help your teen understand that one test does not define their future. Failure is part of being human, and it also frequently leads to learning and growth. Besides, although it can feel like it, no grade will make or break their success in life. By encouraging mistakes and letting your teen know failure doesn’t determine their worth, you help them build resilience and approach exams with more ease.
Ask for Help: If your teen feels stuck, remind them that asking for support is always okay. Whether it’s talking to a teacher, seeing a tutor, or working with a teen therapist, seeking necessary support makes a huge difference in reducing all kinds of stress, including test anxiety.
Therapy for Teens in Manhattan and Anywhere in New York
If you’re looking for support with exam stress, reach out to us at Liz Morrison Therapy to learn more about how we can help. We’re here to gently unearth the root causes of their stresses and guide them toward healthier ways of thinking. With the right tools and support, teens can learn to face academic challenges with a more balanced and positive approach. Let's get you and your family the care and support you deserve.
Help Your Teen Overcome Exam Stress With Therapy for Teens in Manhattan, New York City, Brooklyn, and anywhere else in New York
If your teen is feeling overwhelmed by exam stress, therapy for teens can offer them tools to manage their anxiety and build resilience. Our supportive environment at Liz Morrison Therapy helps teens develop effective study habits, handle pressure, and build confidence. Reach out to help your teen find calm and focus, even during the most challenging academic times. Follow these three simple steps to get started:
1. Contact us to schedule an appointment for Therapy for Teens
2. Begin meeting with a skilled teen therapist
3. Start helping your teen overcome exam stress!
Additional Services Offered at Liz Morrison Therapy
Our team at Liz Morrison Therapy is here to help you and your family no matter your mental health struggle. In addition to supporting your teen to overcome exam stress in therapy for teens, our services also include Parenting Support for those looking to create healthy relationships with their children to help them live their best lives, Young Adult Therapy for individuals looking for support, guidance, and real-world strategies to help them deal with their struggles, and Anxiety Therapy for those wanting to cope with their anxiety in healthy ways. We offer services for the whole family. Our online therapy services are offered in Westchester County, Manhattan, New York City, Brooklyn, and anywhere else in New York state. For more about us check out our Blogs and FAQs.