The Anxiety Maze Archives: Test Anxiety is NOT about the test. It's about the brain.

Finals season is here — and so is the test anxiety that so many teens and college students struggle with. In fact, research shows: 

• 25–40% of students experience significant test anxiety
• About 20% experience test anxiety at severe levels
• Students with high test anxiety score an average of 12 percentile points lower even when they’ve studied
• Anxiety directly impacts memory, focus, motivation, and performance

If your teen is melting down during study time, avoiding preparation, blanking during exams, or overwhelmed before finals, this episode will help.
 
Today’s re-released episode walks through:
What test anxiety really is

• Why test anxiety spikes before finals
• What’s happening in the brain and body during anxiety
• Why students blank even when they’re prepared
• How sleep, preparation, and routines impact performance
• Simple, powerful tools students can use to calm their body and keep their brain online
• Steps to take before, during, and after the test
• A free guided relaxation audio to help them reset their nervous system

You’ll hear Cynthia explain how thoughts drive anxiety — not the test itself — and why the alarmed nervous system makes it impossible to think clearly during finals. 
 

🎁 Bonus: Free Test Anxiety Relaxation Audio

 
 🌟 NEW: December Parent Workshop — December 8

 Helping Teens Manage Test Anxiety (Without Adding to It!)
 
Parents play a huge role in helping teens regulate during finals.
In this live workshop, Cynthia will teach you:
How to recognize test anxiety (and what it looks like at home)

• What helps your teen’s brain stay calm and focused
• Sleep, routine, and study habits that protect performance
• What to say (and what to avoid) during stressful weeks
• Tools you can use together to reduce panic, overwhelm, and shutdown
• How to model calm even when you’re stressed
• Plus — you’ll receive the Test Anxiety Meditation to use at home

Date: Monday, December 8
Time: 6:00 PM CST
Register here

🙌 NEW: Pay-What-You-Want Test Anxiety Strategy Sessions (for Teens + College Students)

For the next four weeks, Cynthia is offering 1-hour personalized test anxiety strategy sessions to help teens understand their triggers, regulate their nervous system, and walk into finals confident — not panicked.
 
Each teen session includes:

• A 1-hour personalized coaching session
• A custom Test Anxiety Plan
• Test-day strategy and reset tools
• The Test Anxiety Meditation
• A personalized study routine
• ✨ BONUS: Access to 4 Guided Pomodoro Co-Study Sessions
  (students can join immediately — even before their session)

Perfect for:
 High schoolers • College students • ACT/SAT/ • Young adults with high-stakes exams
 
Book a session here
 

Find my podcast
Email me: ccoufal@cynthiacoufalcoaching.com
Text me: 785-380-2064
More information

Transcript

 Hi, I'm so glad you're here to join me for the Teen Anxiety Maze. And as I was thinking this week about what should I share with you? What should I talk about this week? I realized what was happening with all of my clients right now. They are getting ready to get prepared for finals. And final exams. Whether you're in high school or college, or I've even worked with. Clients that were taking high stakes exams for a career that they're wanting to do or taking the act or the sat or taking AP exams. All of that stuff. Creates anxiety. And it isn't. The tests that are creating the anxiety. It's what you're thinking about. The tests that creates anxiety. So if you're thinking. Oh, my gosh. The last time I took that test was so terrible or I'm a failure, or [00:01:00] I don't know what I'm doing, or I'm a terrible test taker, which is just a label that you've given yourself, by the way, even if. In the past. Tests haven't gone very well for you. There are ways to make that better. And so that is what my episode is about today. I want you to know what, what is testing anxiety? Why do I have it? And what can I do about it, which is the best part. So I want to tell you all the things and I have a special bonus for you. That all my listeners can get a body relaxation. Audio that I do. That just kind of makes your body relax. And I think it would be great if you maybe did it in the morning before you went to your exams, just to get your body. And your mind clear and ready for those tests. So look for that in the show notes, there'll be a [00:02:00] link. To get that audio so that you can have extra help with staying. Present and ready to take those exams because I want you to do the very best. That you can do, because that's just part of this journey that you're on going through school. And becoming the person that you want to be, and you got to pass some tests in order to do that, unfortunately, so. Today, let's talk a little bit about what is anxiety testing, anxiety. So being anxious about taking an exam is normal. Now, remember we're always normalizing anxiety and we're saying, of course I felt anxious about a test. And it is normal. And I want you to just think about how every person in the room feels some level of anxiety. Now, of course, Some people feel more or less for so many reasons. And we won't even go into all of those [00:03:00] things, but sometimes people are just wired to be more anxious about things. And some people in the room when you go to a test and you see people who feel, look pretty calm, Maybe they prepared a lot for that exam, because really when I find when people are the most anxious about their test situation, they haven't really prepared for it. I think I'm getting ahead of myself. I want to talk to you. About that and how you can take care of that. So testing psychiatry. Is of course a feeling like you feel that, that energy or that buzzing or the uncomfortableness inside, but, and you're also probably you're, you're having thoughts in your mind about, oh, this is going to be terrible and you don't know how to do this. And everyone else is good and you're not. And all those things, which then makes it difficult for you to concentrate when your body goes into an alarm state. And you are having [00:04:00] racing heartbeat and shallow breathing. And. Feeling nauseous and having headaches your brain. Once to have a reason for all of that. So then it then gets ramped up with these negative thoughts again, and it's really kind of like this. Terrible cycle. And remember whenever we're in fight flight freeze or fawn, which is anytime we're in that alarm state in our body, part of our brain shuts down. And so if you've experienced before going into a test that you were prepared for. And then you don't remember any of the things that you studied that's because part of your brain. Went to sleep or isn't responding because you're in a panic or alarm state. So we're going to talk about how to keep your body calm. So that then your brain stays totally engaged. With what you're trying to learn and do. And that will help. You to do perform better on these tests. You just [00:05:00] have to try these things to see. How it goes. So one of the things. One of the reasons which is, I said this a little bit ago that people feel anxious because they have not prepared for the test. They haven't studied. At all or enough. They maybe didn't pay attention in class when it was happening. So then they don't have all the information that they need. And so some of the things that you can do about that are making sure that you're studying, taking good notes. Having a schedule of studying so that you can kind of get little bits along the way. Staying up all night and cramming for a test, never works. And I did an episode. About a year ago about how they studied college students who stay up all night and cram and then run to take the test and they always do worse. Then the people who studied kind of a [00:06:00] little bit along the way and got a good night's sleep. So you don't want to be one of those people that staying up all night studying because you didn't do the preparation ahead of time to do the studying that you needed to do. And then the other. The other type of testing, anxiety as those thoughts and those physical reactions and all of that stuff that happened. So those are the kind of the two pieces of it. So there's lots of things we can do before the exam. Like things that you can start right now. Cause I'm guessing a lot of you. Well, if you're in college, Your final exams could be with it. Be within a couple of weeks from now. But maybe almost clear till the end of. Towards the end of December. I know everyone's going to get a holiday break. At the end of December. And so your finals are probably in the next. Four weeks, I would say. And so these are things that you can start doing now. So this [00:07:00] being prepared. Start studying now start organizing. Maybe what you need to study more than other things. Cause I'm, I'm hoping that there's some subjects that you feel really comfortable with. And you're not going to have to study as hard for those things because you already feel confident in them. So spend more of your time studying those things that you don't feel as confident at those. Those are the ones who are going to want to avoid. You want to study the things you enjoy. But you need to do the opposite of that study the things that you're not confident about, and those things that you are confident about are probably just going to take care of themselves. So creating some sort of schedule of how you're going to, you know, use each of these weeks to get ready for these tests and breaking those. Like bigger projects, bigger amounts of material down into smaller pieces and just studying pieces at a time that helps your brain to absorb it better. But it also doesn't make it seem so overwhelming [00:08:00] when you're doing these things in small pieces. And there are so many. Fun. I don't know if maybe fun isn't the right word, but there are so many cool apps and ways to study for things. And you could do the old fashioned write things down on a note card and have like definitions on one side answers on the other. But there are all sorts of digital apps that do that stuff now. And so make it a game, make it, make it fun for you to do. And I think. I mean. My clients, school me on what all those apps are. So I'm sure you know more about them than I do, but there are apps and games and different things that you can do that make studying at least a little bit more fun. And then that sleep that I was talking about, you can start prioritizing your sleep now. Making sure that you're getting enough sleep every night so that your brain. Is having enough time to regenerate and feel good and your body feels good. [00:09:00] And all of that ahead of time is going to help that day. But especially the night before these exams, you need to be getting nine to 10 hours of sleep. And I know that that sounds like a lot, probably too many of you, because most of my clients don't get that kind of sleep, but you really need to, and certainly don't stay up all night or cram for any of these finals or exams. Make sure that. You are starting now. Making plans and you've got the. Thanksgiving for some of you, the Thanksgiving break. That you can be spending some time doing some of this extra studying and you don't have to spend the whole time. I get wanting to have a break. I want a break. But just think about how can I have a break and how can I put some of this stuff in there? Just small pieces that wouldn't affect the fun. That you're going to have. And so some of the other things that you can do are look into relaxation techniques. If you don't already know something. Now I talk about a ton of them on [00:10:00] this podcast. So you can go back and listen to any episodes where we talk about how to breathe through anxiety. And In a dis, there was two episodes in a. Maybe the first December that I had a podcast. So it would have been December of 20 or December of 21. I'm not sure. Go back to those dates. If your podcast thing has the dates, but there was a body scan and then there was also a relaxation. Audio that I did then. So you can go back and listen to those as well. But again, The relaxation techniques. One of the gifts that you're going to have for listening to this episode is an audio that you can download. And that you could download to your phone and you can listen to it with headphones when you're going to sleep. And especially on the day of like the morning before you leave for school. For those exams, or maybe even if you drive to school, maybe listen to it, to it in your car before you go into school or whatever it is to [00:11:00] kind of help you stay relaxed and keep your central nervous system calm. And breathing, which is part of that. But you can also do breathing on, on your own. And if you are breathing. Deep. And slow. Your body cannot be in an alarm state. So remember when I said, if your body's in an alarm state, your brain doesn't work right. So if you. Take these deep breaths and your breathing deep and slow. Like right when you get into the testing center. And when you're at your desk and maybe even during the test, if you feel like that anxiety is ramping up. Taking deep breaths. And just. And you can do that quietly. Not disrupting anyone in the, in the room. That's going to keep you. In a, in a calm state where your brain's going to be online for you to use. [00:12:00] And you're just gonna, it's gonna open up. The problem solving part and the part where you can look through the test and really get something out of that. So you can do that ahead of time because practicing it ahead of time is going to make it better, but you can also do it at the time. And then progressive muscle relaxation. That's actually what my audio is about. I mean, it's a relaxation technique, but it's going to take you through different parts of your body. And you're going to notice where the tension is. I have tension right here for the last two days. And I keep thinking. Then I'm letting it go. And then when it hurts, I'm like, oh yeah, I've tightened it up again. So, you know, we really have to. Be really focused and aware of where we're feeling that in our body. So those are ways for you to. Tense those things up or notice where that is and then just release it and let it go. And I hope that my audio will help you with that. And then during, or the day of the test to make sure that you eat breakfast and make sure you eat [00:13:00] something that's healthy and good for you. Not. Just some sugary drink or sugary snack or something. You might need some sort of an energy drink, like coffee, or if you drink energy drinks, but that isn't the best kind of nutrients, like, make sure you're eating something that's good for you. And then maybe that's something you add on to that, but So, cause I know I have to have my coffee for sure. But you definitely need to be eating a good breakfast that fuels your brain and your body to be at its best performance. And then make sure that you're organized for the day. So the night before you need to lay out everything that you need for that day, make sure that you have the pencils, the pens, the calculator, the. Everything that you're going to need for that test. And, you know, have it in your bag and have that bag right by the door, ready to go. Nothing that you have to rush around and try to find things. [00:14:00] Going crazy because then that ramps up your anxiety, which then causes more problems. If you ride the bus, you can't do anything about the timing of it. But if you drive to school or drive to the venue that has the test. Then make sure you leave early because you never know about traffic. Issues or. Just all sorts of things that could happen. Maybe you're going to get out in your garage to leave and you have a flat tire. And if you are leaving earlier, Then you have time to deal with some of these things without getting anxious. So it just. Helps you to just stay calm and just go, go through the morning, Azure on your way to the test. In a calm. Way that makes you feel feel good about what's happening and. If this is a new venue, like sometimes when people take the act, the sat and maybe even some advanced placement tests, if you're not going to a place that you normally go to, [00:15:00] like, it's not at your school, but you're going to a different venue. Then no, what that route is, how am I getting there? You know, what streets do I need to go on? Maybe what's a quicker way to go. And then again, make sure you're leaving early enough so that you can get checked in and you know where you're going. And then, you know, you're not late to anything because anytime we're in that panic of being late or, oh my gosh, this traffic is too slow. Then that, or you're running around looking for things in the morning. You're going to feel. Already frazzled before you even get there. And then make sure. That you have positive self-talk. Now I know that. You know, I talk about that so much. It's probably like people don't even listen. Any more, but if you're saying to yourself, things like I'm a terrible test taker, this is going to be a disaster. This is terrible. I hate this, all those kinds of things. Of course. You're going to be more anxious and you're going to feel terrible when you go into the test. [00:16:00] But maybe, especially since you're going to study and prepare yourself earlier than normal, and you're going to be so prepared and ready for this, you can talk to yourself about I'm so proud of myself for preparing for this ahead of time. And I'm ready for this and I'm, I know the answers and I'm going to do well on this test. Like that kind of positive. Self-talk. And then, you know, just think about places and things that make you feel calm. Don't be thinking about. How terrible the test is, and you can ground yourself when you go into the test, because remember I've talked so often about if you can ground yourself in the present. Then that also helps calm your central nervous system. And you can't be anxious if you're really, truly in the right now, because as you're setting there, or as you're walking into the school, there's nothing to be worried about the test isn't there yet, or, you know, you're going to be fine. And so [00:17:00] I talked to my clients a lot about. All the ways you can use your five senses because that's what grounds you into the present, going into the test. So, what do your, what do your shoes feel like or sound like on the pavement as you're going in? What does that handle feel like when you're opening the door? When you set down in. The seat to take in that class, what does your desk feel like? Feel your feet like being grounded and solid on the floor. What do you hear? What do you smell? What do you see around the room? And. I don't want you to look around at what other people are doing, because that can be anxiety producing, especially if they seem like who cares, I got this and you're not feeling like that. Then, then you start doubting yourself. So I don't want you to look around like that. Maybe as you're going into the school, just look around. And what do you see? What do you smell? What do you. Here because all of those five senses are going to [00:18:00] bring you to the present. And then you're going to set down. You're just going to take some deep breaths. And you probably won't have the test right on your desk as soon as you sat down. Cause that's not typically how those, those things work. So you'll have a few minutes to kind of collect yourself. And just get ready for that test. And then when they do pass out the test or the test is in front of you. Just read, just read carefully. Everything, like, just look through as, at least as much as you can. Now I give advanced placement tests and I know that you can only read the section that you're in. You can't read the whole thing, but if it's a test and just your classroom and you, you have access to the full test. Look through it, like see what, what are things that are going to be coming up? You know, are there matching? Is it. Multiple choice. Is it fill in the blank? Is it I want to say paragraph style, is it, you know, [00:19:00] like, do you have to write a lot, you know, like what are the essay questions and just look through and kind of know what. What's ahead. If there are parts that seem really easy to you, or you're like, oh, I totally know that topic. Do those things first, because then you can spend time. On the things you don't know, and it won't. A trip you up or cert. Revving up that anxiety. And again, focus on yourself and what you're doing. Don't worry about what other people are doing and don't allow them finishing early, getting up, leaving the room. If that happens. I know in advanced placement testing, you can't get up. No one can leave until everyone's done, but if it's in the classroom, sometimes. Kids are getting up, handing in the test, or maybe they take the test in this classroom and then they leave to go do something else. But don't worry about what other people are doing. Just take the amount of time that you need. And just worry about what you're doing. I make sure that [00:20:00] you are paying attention to how much time there is so that you are pacing yourself. Through the test in a way that again, isn't going to make you panicked all of a sudden. To get it done. Now, some people need extra help with anxiety. That's what I do. I am a teen anxiety coach. And I help lots of people about lots of different kinds of anxiety and testing. Anxiety is one of those things. But. I help. Teens, young people, young adults. I was going to say not so young adults, but you know, up to mid twenties. With anxiety on all sorts of things. And so it doesn't hurt to talk to someone about if, if anxiety is really tripping you up a lot and is really causing you a lot of problems. Find somebody. To talk to, and it can be a coach or a therapist or your school counselor, or somebody on your campus that can talk to you about [00:21:00] anxiety, just to. Get a different perspective and maybe some help with that. If you have a learning disability or you have neurodivergent thinking. Then, if you obviously, probably, if you already have an IEP or a 5 0 4, you do have accommodations for your testing, where you can do different things during the test in order to help you with that. But if you don't talk to people in your school about how you can get accommodations, That may be will help you feel less anxious. And so I just want you to think about that because sometimes. That does get overlooked. And. I think that is pretty much everything that I wanted you to hear about. I just want you to know that. Finals week doesn't have to be stressful. You can prepare for it ahead of time. You can be ready for it. You can go in and take those tests and do amazing. And I just want you to know all the ways [00:22:00] to do that. So just follow kind of those steps today that we talked about and listen to that. Kind of muscle relaxation. Audio that I have in the show notes and I will see you soon.