Overcoming exam anxiety: stay calm in your language exam

What is exam anxiety, and why does it hit language exams so hard?

Exam anxiety is excessive nervousness before and during exams. The University of Mannheim (in German) lists typical signs such as a racing heart, trembling, sweating, problems with concentration and memory, circling thoughts and stomach trouble. Citing research, it says around 15 to 30 per cent of pupils and students are affected.

So you are in good company. Language exams add some particular factors:

• Speaking in front of strangers: in the speaking test you sit opposite examiners who are listening specifically for mistakes.
• No rewind button: in IELTS Listening every recording is played only once; if your mind wanders for a moment, you miss answers.
• Time pressure in a foreign language: thinking, phrasing and checking take more mental capacity than in your first language.
• High stakes: a university place, a visa or a job often depends on the result.

A certain amount of nervousness is normal and even helpful, because it keeps you alert and focused. It becomes a problem when anxiety blocks your performance. This is where good exam preparation comes in: the more familiar the format and procedure are, the less room there is for uncertainty.

Recognising the causes of exam anxiety

The reasons differ from person to person. High expectations of yourself, pressure from those around you or a bad experience in a previous exam often play a part, and procrastination can make the anxiety worse. With language exams, there are three sentences we hear particularly often in our teaching:

• “I understand everything, but when I have to speak, my mind goes blank.”
• “I don’t know what to expect.”
• “If I make one mistake, it’s all over.”

Quick exercise: pin your anxiety down

Write down exactly what you are afraid of, and assign each point to a category:

Once something has a name, you can tackle it step by step. Most of the points in the first and second rows almost disappear by themselves with good preparation.

Preparing to beat exam anxiety: know the format, build confidence

Familiarity is the best remedy: know the format in detail, know your safety nets, such as certificates at the level below or modules you can retake separately, plan realistically, reframe catastrophic thoughts and simulate the exam under real conditions. By the second or third run-through, the tension drops noticeably. Here are the five steps in detail.

1. Know the format inside out

If you know what is coming, you are less anxious. Read the official format description for your exam and complete at least two full practice tests under real time conditions. You will find detailed descriptions in our articles on IELTS, Cambridge B2 First and German language exams.

2. Know your safety nets

Many exams are less “all or nothing” than you might think:

• In Cambridge B2 First, a score of 140 to 159 still earns you a B1 certificate (Cambridge English).
• In the Pearson English International Certificate, several levels award a pass at the level below if you narrowly miss your target (Pearson).
• The Goethe certificates from B1 upwards are modular; a module you fail can be retaken on its own (Goethe-Institut, in German).
• In IELTS you cannot fail; you always receive a band score.

3. Make a realistic study plan

Divide your preparation into manageable stages and plan in breaks, exercise and time with other people. If you only start practising in the final week, you create exactly the anxiety you want to avoid.

4. Reframe your thoughts deliberately

What we tell ourselves before an exam affects how we feel. Practise replacing catastrophic thoughts with realistic ones:

It sounds simple, but it works best if you repeat these sentences regularly in the weeks before the exam, for example before every practice test.

5. Simulate the exam

The most effective step is a realistic dress rehearsal: the same time of day as the exam, phone off, strict time limits and the speaking part with a teacher you don’t know. By the second or third run-through, the tension drops noticeably.

Fear of the speaking test: speaking without a blackout

For many people, speaking is the part they dread most. It helps to know what examiners listen for: in IELTS, for example, they assess fluency and coherence, vocabulary, grammatical range and accuracy, and pronunciation (ielts.org). So it is the overall picture that counts, not a single mistake.

Phrases that buy you time

Self-corrections are allowed and tend to come across as competent rather than nervous. The key is simply to keep talking after a mistake.

Use your preparation time

In IELTS Speaking Part 2 you get one minute to prepare, plus paper and a pencil. Note down four or five key words, not sentences. These key words are your handrail if you lose the thread.

If you generally feel inhibited when speaking, don’t wait until exam preparation to tackle it. Our article on overcoming the fear of speaking English describes long-term strategies.

On exam day: a routine to calm your nerves

A fixed routine takes the fear out of exam day: revise lightly the day before and get to bed early, eat a normal breakfast and warm up your language for ten minutes. For acute tension, longer out-breaths help. In the exam, mark difficult questions and move on, don’t compare answers during breaks and afterwards note what went well.

The day before

• Only light revision, no new topics.
• Check your journey, ID and documents; for online exams, run the system check.
• Go to bed early instead of learning vocabulary until midnight.

In the morning

• Eat a normal breakfast and drink enough.
• Warm up your English or German for 10 minutes: listen to a podcast, talk out loud about your day.
• Better to arrive early than to arrive rushed.

A breathing technique for acute tension

Breathe in through your nose for four seconds and out slowly through your mouth for six seconds, five or six times in total. Many of our learners find the longer out-breath calming. Relaxation methods such as progressive muscle relaxation or mindfulness exercises are also recommended; they work best if you practise them weeks in advance.

During the exam

• If a question is difficult: mark it, move on and come back later, if the format allows.
• If your mind goes blank: put your pen down, take two calm breaths and reread the task.
• Don’t look at others. Someone who turns the page faster is not automatically doing better.

Between papers

Avoid comparing answers with other candidates during breaks. It almost always creates doubt, and it can no longer change the result. Use the time instead for a little movement, a sip of water and a quick look at your personal phrases for the next part.

After the exam

On the same day, note down what went well and what you would do differently next time. These notes are valuable if you need to retake a part, and they show you in black and white that you coped with the situation. That builds confidence for your next exam, whether for study or for work.

Exam anxiety in computer-based and online exams

More and more language exams take place on computer, some even at home. According to ETS, the TOEFL iBT can be taken as a Home Edition with live supervision, and the Pearson English International Certificate via OnVue online proctoring (Pearson).

For some people this is a relief, because there is nobody sitting opposite them. Others worry more about the technology: what if the microphone fails or the connection drops?

Reducing technology anxiety

• Run the provider’s system check several days in advance and again on exam day.
• Use wired internet and a good headset with a microphone; for the PEIC, Pearson explicitly requires an over-ear headset with a boom microphone.
• Make test recordings and listen to how your voice sounds.
• Close notifications, updates and other programs beforehand.

Speaking into a microphone

Without a person in front of you, there are no nods, smiles or follow-up questions. So practise with recordings beforehand: answer a question, time yourself and listen back. After a few rounds, speaking into a microphone feels much more normal.

Exam anxiety in the written papers: reading, listening, writing

In the written papers, fixed routines help against anxiety. In reading: first the question, then the key word, then the passage. In listening: let missed answers go and focus on the next question. In writing: use the first three to five minutes for notes and follow a reliable structure of introduction, main paragraphs and conclusion.

Reading

Anxiety often makes you read sentences several times without understanding them. Work in a fixed order: read the question, underline the key word, find the passage in the text, decide. Fixed routines take the load off your working memory.

Listening

If you have missed an answer, let it go and concentrate on the next question. Dwelling on a missed answer usually costs you two more. Listening regularly to a range of accents in the weeks beforehand reduces surprises; you will find ideas in our article on improving your English listening skills.

Writing

The blank page is the biggest trigger. The remedy is a structure you could produce in your sleep: introduction, two or three main paragraphs, conclusion. Plan the first three to five minutes for notes; the text is much easier to write after that. You will find model structures in our article on writing an essay in an English exam.

When professional help with exam anxiety makes sense

The tips in this article help with normal to marked nervousness. If the anxiety persists, affects your everyday life or leads to panic attacks, medical or psychological support makes sense, as the University of Mannheim also recommends. Students in Germany can turn to the counselling services of the Studierendenwerke; working people can see their GP.

The University of Mannheim and the psychological counselling of the Studierendenwerke provide further information (both in German).

What a language school can do

A language school is no substitute for therapy, but it can do a lot for your confidence: realistic simulations, honest feedback and a study plan that fits your exam date. At choices® you train online in one-to-one lessons if you prefer to practise without an audience, or in small groups of no more than six if you want to get used to conversation partners. Every preparation course starts with a needs analysis.

Find out more about our formats under online exam preparation with a teacher, language courses for individuals and, if you want to strengthen your German for an exam, online German courses. If you have any questions, you can reach us via our contact page.

Sources

1. uni-mannheim.de: pruefungsangst im studium
2. studierendenwerke.de: psychologische beratung
3. ielts.org: ielts academic format speaking
4. cambridgeenglish.org: results
5. goethe.de: Durchfuehrungsbestimmungen B1
6. pearson.com: PEIC CBT public specification
7. in.ets.org: content structure

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