Have you ever studied for days, maybe evens weeks before a test, but on test day when you see the exam in front of you, you suddenly cannot seem to remember any of the information?

This condition, known as test anxiety, affects about 25-40 percent of students, according to school psychologist Andrea Scholl.

Scholl describes test anxiety as a psychological condition that can cause extreme distress during testing situations. This extreme form of stress may result in an inaccurate measurement of a student’s true abilities.

“While it is fairly common, test anxiety can impede learning and result in negative test performance,” Scholl said.

Some of the major components of text anxiety revolve around little control over the test results, as well as fear of failure.

“Test anxiety is considered a learned behavior and is often cyclical,” Scholl said. “You worry and stress during a test that you will not do well on, so you become fearful that you will experience similar stress and anxiousness with subsequent tests.”

Shutting down and failing to remember answers to questions are caused by test anxiety.

“When I have an upcoming test, I usually spend a lot of the day worrying whether or not I studied enough,” junior Jonah Markowitz said. “During tests I get really nervous when I see information that I am not familiar with. It sometimes causes me to forget the answers.”

Many students can become physically or mentally ill during testing situations.

Math teacher Deanne McDaid provides students with breaks in order to combat these negative physical and mental reactions to stress.

“I talk to kids, give them breaks, ways to relax and allow them to test in a quiet and relaxing environment,” McDaid said. “Everyone gets a little nervous when taking tests but some students get so anxious that they do not perform as well as they should.”

Finding a way to overcome apprehension can differ for each individual student. However, there are common ways to deal with the anxiety.

It is important to take deep breaths, get plenty of exercise per day, eat a well-balanced meal before an assessment, and start studying days before the exam to avoid cramming.

“Some kids do better if they have something to eat or drink while testing,” McDaid said. “Some have to just stop and take a deep breath. Ultimately, each student has to find a way to relax and that can be different for each student.”