Writing About Testing Worries Boosts Exam Performance in the Classroom

Write Your Worries Away Tests and exams are stressful for many people. Students who “choke” at an exam may perform less well than their knowledge base warrants. Such results can accumulate to generate reduced educational achievements and expectations. Studying young adults performing math tests, Ramirez and Beilock (p. 211 ) found that a brief intervention—writing about their anxiety about the upcoming exam—helped students to do better in the exam. Perhaps by acknowledging their fears, students were able to tame distracting emotions.