Got pre-test jitters? The solution to clearing a panicky student's mind before taking a test is actually quite easy: just have them write about it:
Students who were prone to test anxiety improved their test scores by nearly one grade point after they were given 10 minutes to write about what was causing them fear, the researchers found.
The exercise likely gave tense students an outlet for their anxieties before the test, and as such, freed up brainpower that had been tied up with worrying, explained the study's senior author Sian Beilock, an associate professor in psychology at the University of Chicago.