Adolescent exam anxiety can be intensified by pressure to achieve, says academic

Some students are underachieving because of the pressure to achieve in exams, says a professor of education, and schools need to intervene. 

Former teacher Professor of Education David Putwain says 'heavy-handed' messages around test results can fuel extreme worry among some 16 to 18-year-olds, even when others respond well to such messages.

Putwain identifies several risk factors, for example students with certain personality traits, including those who are highly self-critical, can underachieve because of severe anxiety in exams. Certain demographics also report higher exam anxiety, including female persons and those from economically deprived backgrounds.

'Temperature checks' to identify at-risk pupils early and evidence-based psychological interventions to control negative thinking are among the broad reforms Professor Putwain calls for in Understanding and Helping to Overcome Exam Anxiety. 

Based on extensive data, the book debunks the 'a bit-of-stress-is-good' myth and highlights how around 16% of students in the UK are suffering high exam anxiety – among the highest of all Western nations, according to one dataset.

David Putwain, co-Editor in Chief for BPS journal, British Journal of Educational Psychology, says: 

"A potentially large number of students aged 15 to 18 years may be underachieving and exposed to pressures that are leading to dangerously high levels of anxiety.

"Many of the severely exam anxious students may not be reaching their full potential and achieving less they would do otherwise.

"Heavy-handed messages about the importance of exam grades for students' life trajectory may be true and may motivate some students. They are a risky strategy, however, and will act as an anxiety trigger for some students resulting in the opposite outcome."

As well as analysing the external factors at play, Professor Putwain also identifies the internal, psychological drivers of exam anxiety. He suggests it is not always prompted by a fear of failure but is also triggered by a threat to self-worth. Some pupils adopt 'safety' behaviours such as studying to excess to prevent a 'catastrophic' outcome; or they become convinced that worrying will provide a solution, a belief that means they fail to break the cycle of anxiety.

Anecdotes from pupils are used in the book to highlight the impact of high exam anxiety on educational achievement. As anxiety overloads working memory, some students talk about their mind going blank or remembering the test answers only after they have left the room.

Professor Putwain recommends psychological techniques to help professionals identify and support highly test-anxious students. These include Tackling Exam Pressure and Stress (STEPS), an approach the author pioneered based on controlling anxiety to change negative thinking. 

Stress is often unavoidable in life but what counts is how one responds to pressure, according to the book. A challenge response is when students have the resources to cope but stress becomes a threat when they believe they lack these resources. Anxiety is a response to this threat and leads to burnout over time and underachievement.

The book offers comprehensive approaches for teachers, school leaders, parents, and professionals involved in school welfare to address pressures of preparing for high-stakes exams in educational systems worldwide.

The author suggests that secondary schools should normalize the 'theatre' of exams – sitting children in rows in silence – by starting the process earlier and reassuring them that they should not fear exam stress.

Other recommendations include broad policy reform, including replacing the current system with several smaller exams that can be retaken, alternative forms of assessment such as essays, and school inspections that support schools.

The book forms part of the Ask the Experts series produced by the BPS and Routledge. The British Psychological Society's Academic Publications Manager, Rachel Sangster, said: 

"This exciting popular science book series will be a powerful resource for anyone seeking practical, evidence-based guidance on the challenges we face every single day. By answering some of the most pressing questions of our time in a clear and accessible way, we hope these books will help people understand and improve their mental health and well-being. Whether it's managing exam anxiety or supporting a loved one with dementia, they offer expert advice that is both grounded in science and easy to apply. We're proud to partner with Routledge to bring these books to life."

Understanding and Helping to Overcome Exam Anxiety: What Is It, Why Is It Important and Where Does It Come From? by David Putwain (Routledge, 2024) will be available to purchase from the 9th December.