Do you know someone who has never been troubled by tests? Yeah, some people are lucky like that. But for most of us, taking tests can cause a lot of icky feelings and sensations, such as: trouble concentrating; low selfesteem; being nervous or anxious; feeling depressed or down on yourself; nausea ,indigestion, diarrheas ,or other stomach problems; racing heartbeat or trouble breathing; trouble sleeping; sweaty or cold hands. Spend a moment thinking about a test you have to take. Does it bring on any of these feelings? If so, that might mean you're having some trouble dealing with the stress of the test. Now that we know what stress feels like, let's talk about where test stress comes from. Here are a few of the biggest causes of test stress: *Pressure from yourself.It's important to do your best and study hard, but if you feel like you just can't stop pushing yourself to prepare or that you won't be happy with anything but a high grade, that pressure can't be hard to handle. *Pressure from parents and teachers.Most parents want to see great report cards, and they can start pushing when test time comes around. For teachers, many schools want to show high test grades from their students. So they have high expectations for the teachers, who then have high expectations for the students! *Competition with friends.You love your best friends, but she's always asking you how you did in the test you both just took. This is normal, but can add to some of the pressure you're already feeling.  *Past experience.If you had a bad time with a test in the past, or if you've done poorly in one or more tests, you could feel anxious about the next one. *Negative thinking.If you're convinced you're going to fail, or you keep beating yourself up with thoughts like"I'm not smart enough"or"I never do well," this can add to a lot of stress. *Rumor. Sometimes, other students can spread rumors about a rest. Rumores like "That teacher's tests are totally impossible to pass!" can make you a lot more nervous. What will the next section mainly talk about?
How to manage and get rid of stress. How to prevent pressure from oneself or parents or teachers. How to compete with friends properly. How to use rumor to release stress.