Apart from the insightful comments of the respondents, sometimes, oral tests is the only solution, especially, for those students who face particular problems and cannot deal with written examinations.

Regards

A detailed prior to the actual test explanation and examples of various questions and answers may improve kids' self assurance and reduce their levels of fear.

Nice query@ Osman Kasimu

These students need special counseling not to afraid from exam/test. Try to remove their feat with test, you need to motivate, take test as easy way etc.

Prior to the test, seek their opinion about the test and use their word/complain as a point of consideration to counsel/encourage them.

Thank you @Segun, Hom Nath, Mahesh and Len Leonid for your responses.

I don't give tests. The few I've given (and it's been less than 10 in 10 years of college and honors high school teaching, are usually failed. Testing also offers little retention. These are for Humanities type course. I recognize math and science courses need to have tests. So, I have students make presentations and be the "experts" on a particular area within a chapter, so they retain more depth if not breadth, and we retain more of what we teach, about 85%. But then they also learn from the other students presenting and know where to go to retrieve the information they need.

To prep for the test, any technology such as Kahoot.com may be helpful.

-Try to create a relaxed and encouraging atmosphere in classes/lectures before the test

- Offer your students a chance to take a make-up test and let them know in advance that they will be able to do it if they are not satisfied with their level of attainment

- Try to make them laugh before the test by telling them a(n appropriate) joke or sth similar: if you get them laughing, they will feel more relaxed :)

Thank you @Michael Rhett and Diana Prodanovic for your responses.

Tell them, it is fine if they failed; it is fine, as failure is the part of success and being nervous, and weak in some area does not mean that you are deficient as a human being, and tell them that tests are not to judge them as a human being but is is part of learning. With more hard work, more concentration on studies, success will come.

Apart from the insightful comments of the respondents, sometimes, oral tests is the only solution, especially, for those students who face particular problems and cannot deal with written examinations.

Regards

Daily quizzes may get some people get used to the "testing" idea.

Hello all,

The principle, seen in nature, is that you can bring the horse to the water, but not make the horse drink from it! You need to make the horse want it, first.

Therefore, ask the students to prepare a DIY (Do It Yourself) test, complete with questions and answers, for grade. You will be surprised at the participation and originality, before giving the actual test!

Cheers, Ed Gerck

Some of the ways are:

1. Praise students in ways big and small and expect excellence

2. Spread excitement like a virus and assign classroom jobs

3. Hand over some control, teach moral education lessons, and give appreciation

4. Relating lessons to students’ lives and reward positive behavior outside the classroom

I hope that the following links can provide you with more details about the targeted issue:

www.utas.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/.../Managing-Exam-Anxiety-and-Stress.pdf

https://services.unimelb.edu.au/__data/.../pdf.../Managing_stress_Update_051112.pdf

https://www.ets.org/s/praxis/pdf/reducing_test_anxiety.pdf

student.londonmet.ac.uk/media/london...met.../10_tips_for_exam_stress.pdf

https://student.uva.nl/.../studentensites/...studentensite/.../student.../15-how-do-you-dea...

Best of luck,

R. Biria

Thank you all for your insightful comments.

Just some observations. Students are obviously going to be nervous when taking tests. Students understand that passing tests is necessary to proceed to the next level. How would they not be nervous? It's like going to the doctor's office, and they first of all take your blood pressure. How can it be surprising if your blood pressure comes out looking high? Any idiot should be able to understand why.

Conversely, take the blood pressure at the end of the visit, and most of the time, all being well, you will notice a significant drop. Or, take it at home, when you're relaxed. Enormous drop. It always amazes me how such things aren't obvious.

On tests, some professors have bad reputations. And for very good reasons. Some professors seem to enjoy writing test questions that are only marginally associated with the course work, homework questions, or other examples the students encountered during the class. Some others like to give too many questions, expecting that most students will not finish. Now, in some objective way, the prof can rationalize that this shows whether the student really grasped the subject matter. True enough. But grades on a test matter, to that student. And most students probably won't be at their best, when taking an important test. Just like that patient in the doctor's office, with supposedly high blood pressure.

Honestly, I can't say that I've ever had professors who were overly concerned about the tests they gave, and about how students might react. I'm almost surprised to see some of the responses on here. Surprised in a good way. Just want to say, was not my experience!

I believe that in some cases it is impossible to motivate students.

But let's try, it's our duty. Sometimes there are good results achieved by talking one-on-one with the student, out of the classroom.

Oral tests may be good solution in many situations.

The teachers can try take-home tests or quizzes and also they need to constantly encourage the students that there is nothing to be afraid of. They only need to do their best.

Dear Dr. Kasimu,

Test-takers’ psychological or physiological states can affect their test performances during testing. For instance, anxiety, fatigue, motivation, etc. are some mental factors which are strikingly important in shaping the test-takers’ decisions when answering questions on a test. Many applied

linguists and psycholinguists believe that fluctuations in the psychological conditions of test-takers, their personality traits and their test-taking strategies have an important part in the outcome of the test. For instance, a certain degree of test anxiety is common and desirable for everyone and a small degree of anxiety can be facilitative because it can prompt the testees to remain focused when taking a test. However, since too much anxiety can be debilitative and impact test performance negatively, it must be controlled. Birjandi and Alemi (2010) classifying anxiety into three levels, point out that nervousness is the first anxiety level which acts as a source of difficulty in reading and understanding the questions on the exam paper. The second level is related to mental blocking during which the testees’ memory goes blank so that they cannot answer the test items; however, they remember the correct answers as soon as they walk out of the testing session. Finally, the third level of anxiety includes common worries such as bodily reactions, personal worries about how other testees are doing and concerns about possible negative consequences of the test.

I hope that our article on the issue available in researchgate can shed light on what you are looking for:

Article Exploring the Role of Risk Taking Propensity and Gender Diff...

Thank you Dr. Ali Bahadoran for sharing your wonderful work. I am most grateful.

Dear Dr. Kasimu,

My pleasure. It is so kind of you.

Encourage student active participation and probably a short quiz might help after each class.

Thanks @ Olajide Sanya.