Expressive Writing Before Exams Reduces Test Anxiety

Throughout one's academic career, there are important tests students must take, such as the ACT or SAT, the GRE, MCAT, and/or LSAT. If a student has test anxiety, however, he or she may not perform as well on these important tests as they typically would if they weren't experiencing a lot of anxiety. A new study indicates that writing about one's anxieties before an important exam may help a student perform significantly better on that test.

The research was conducted by Dr. Sian Beilock and her colleagues. Beilock is an associate professor of psychology at the University of Chicago and an expert in, "choking under pressure." "Choking under pressure," refers to the phenomenon that occurs when one performs below his or her ability or skill level during an especially challenging task or experience. Beilock has also written a book entitled Choke: What the Secrets of the Brain Reveal About Getting It Right When You Have To.

According to Psych Central, Beilock has done prior research that has shown pressure-filled experiences or situations may reduce working memory, which is part of the brain's processing power. Our working memories allow us to recall information needed to perform everyday tasks. However, working memory has limited processing power, so when worries creep up, the ability to recall and retrieve information becomes limited. Prior research has also indicated expressive writing where individuals write about emotional or traumatic experiences repeatedly over weeks decreases worries in individuals who are depressed.

The current study aimed to determine if writing in a classroom could help students perform better on tests. Additionally, the researchers hypothesized that just one opportunity to write before taking a test would reduce worries and improve exam scores.

In one experiment, the researchers recruited 20 college students to take two short mathematics tests. The researchers instructed the students to simply do their best on the first test (pre-test). On the second test (post-test), the students were told they would receive money if they did well and that other students were depending on their performance on the test as part of a team effort. This situation was created in order to create stress. Ten students were then told to write about their feelings and thoughts regarding the upcoming test for 10 minutes (expressive group). The control group contained 10 students who were simply instructed to sit quietly for 10 minutes preceding the exam.

The researchers discovered the control group choked under the pressure whereas the expressive writing group actually improved their scores. More specifically, students who were asked to sit quietly had a 12% accuracy drop from pre-test to post-test whereas the students who had been given the opportunity to write showed a 5% accuracy improvement.

The researchers also conducted an experiment where they discovered it was the specific act of writing about the thoughts and feelings regarding a test that was beneficial to a student rather than writing in general.

The researchers also conducted two other experiments with high school biology freshmen who were preparing for their first final exams. The students' test anxiety was measured six weeks before the final exam by asking them questions such as, "During tests, I find myself thinking about the consequences of failing." Before the students took their biology final exams, each was handed an envelope that contained directions to either write about their thoughts and feelings regarding the exam or to think about topics that would not be covered on the exam.

The researchers discovered those who had been asked to think about topics unrelated to the exam showed higher test anxiety and worse biology final exam scores, even when the researchers had taken into account the students' grades throughout the academic year. They also found that when students were given the chance to write about their thoughts and feelings regarding the exam, those with the most test anxiety did just as well on the exam as classmates who exhibited less test anxiety. Furthermore, highly anxious students who were given the chance to write before taking the biology exam received an average grade of B+ whereas their highly anxious counterparts who had not received an opportunity to write before the exam received an average grade of B-.

Beilock stated, "Writing about your worries for 10 minutes before an upcoming exam leveled the playing field such that those students who usually get most anxious during exams were able to overcome their fears and perform up to their potential."

Perhaps students who have test anxiety can take a few minutes to write about their thoughts and feelings regarding the test before they take it, even if the teacher or professor does not allow time for expressive writing in the classroom. Teachers may want to consider implementing time for expressive writing before exams for their students so that each student can do his or her best.

If you would like to read more about this particular study, you may check out Science.

Source:

Psych Central: Journaling Before Exam Can Relieve Test Anxiety:
http://psychcentral.com/news/2011/01/14/journaling-before-exam-can-relieve-test-anxiety/22665.html