I remember the young man coming up to talk to me after class. It was the first class period after my students had their first exam of the semester. The young man was more like a child in my eyes. He was 18 but skinny with scruffy dark hair and glasses reminding me of Harry Potter. This student was still very much the same person he was in high school and though he had ventured into college, he hadn't found his footing yet.

The Kid Seriously Looked Like Harry Potter

How could I be mean to Harry Potter?

The student approached me to talk about his exam. He got an F on it. He explained to me that he had very bad test anxiety. As he explained about college being different from high school and not knowing how to study for college tests I noted that he was nervous. He shifted a lot and made awkward body movements.

I'm pretty good at reading people and knowing when students are lying and when they are genuine. This student I believed him when he said he had test anxiety. He didn't ask anything of me. He didn't ask for extra credit or to retake the exam like some students might attempt. He just apologized.

I decided to take pity on him. I offered to let him take his second exam in my office where it was quiet and he wasn't mashed into a tight auditorium with 150 other people.

The hardest part of college for some students is learning to study and take tests. College assignments can be vastly different than the difficulty of high school assignments. I feel sometimes high schools don't fully prepare students for the real world and challenges kids will face.

There's A Test Coming! Time To Freak Out!

Dilemma: Should I Coddle College Students or Leave Them On Their Own?

I always run into an internal debate with myself when teaching. On one hand I want all my students to succeed. On the other hand my students are all adults so I feel like my students should be forced to live up to college level expectations. Should I be compassionate to students with test anxiety or should I be tough and force them to live up to college expectations?

Keep The Baby Birds In The Nest Or Kick Em Out To See If They Fly?

I'm a big softie so for freshman level classes I am often easier and more understanding with students. I try to give them advice to succeed and in times of major screw ups I often offer them a chance for redemption. It's not often I meet a kid who is so afraid of my exams that they tank. When I do I try to help them calm down and focus.

Adults With Test Anxiety

College students are adults but they are often also still kids. Those 18 year old's, fresh out of high school, are going through major changes. In the beginning of college I see so many students struggling to find their footing as an independent adult. No more bells to signal when class starts and ends. No more safe bubble of a high school where teachers and faculty control and plan students every moves during a school day. For the younger college students it can be a challenge waking themselves up and getting to class on time. It can be a challenge learning they have to think and plan for themselves. It's a big world outside the bubble high schools create.

Sometimes college teachers have to show compassion to the younger ones while at the same time showing a little tough love to help guide them into adulthood.

How would you handle students with test anxiety?

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