1

Victoria

Grace Apiafi

HED 044

13 February 2017

Project 3: Case Study Analysis

Freshman college student, Katya, suffers from severe test anxiety even though she studies

hard and has a 3.0 GPA. She believes her studying is not good enough. Katya has been under a

lot of pressure because if she receives a failing grade on her Chemistry exam that is in two days,

she will lose her scholarship. Katya became so overwhelmed that she got a panic attack.

I have had a long history with testing and general anxiety myself. I had early onset test

and general anxiety. When I was younger, it was harder for me to cope- mostly because I did not

know how. Once my parents noticed I had anxiety, they took action and developed plans to help

with my anxiety. Since I was younger, making sure I developed relationships with adults or

teachers that helped me stay calm and whelmed. To prevent anxiety, I learned to prepare the best

I could for tests and my parents made sure they put positive comments in my head such as,

Grades do not define you. As I grew into middle school, I still had bad testing anxiety and my

social anxiety increased. During this time, I was placed into Special Education and received

resources and accommodations. To help with my testing; I was able to test out of the classroom,

modified tests and any needed help with tests themselves. I started to have more panic attacks

during this time and many of my panic attacks did not fit situations appropriately. I stayed in

Special Education for two more years in high school before moving to California. During this

time, my anxiety was at a very high point and received more accommodations such as if I was

getting anxious, I was able to leave the classroom. I also had a lot more planned counseling
 2

sessions and given a safe space (my counselors office) whenever I did have an anxiety attack

or felt like I was going to get one. High school was when I started to have more panic attacks so I

learned how to cope with my anxiety a lot better. For me, sensory coping skills were important. I

used certain water bottles, such as a Camelback to bite on, muscle squeezes, eating crunchy

foods or chewing gum. Growing up with anxiety wasnt great, but I was fortunate to be able to

learn how to cope and what works for me so when it came to college my anxiety wasnt terrible

and when I did it, I knew how to cope and calm myself down.

My key recommendations for Katya would be not to ignore a learning disability or a

diagnosis. Testing anxiety could improve if a learning disability is identified. Disabilities such as

ADHD and Dyslexia both make it difficult to focus and learn (Hall-Flavin, 2014). It is also

important to maintain a positive attitude and thoughts. Testing anxiety does not only come from

bad study skills, but negative thoughts. Negative thoughts and anxiety could come from over

exaggeration of the importance of tests from peers and parents. When students have strong,

negative thoughts about their studies or themselves, their anxiety will grow and will have higher

irrational thoughts and lower self-esteem and social skills (Boyacioglu & Kucak, 2011).

Maintaining the thoughts about how a test grade does not define you could help keep anxiety

down and keep negative thoughts away. Relaxation techniques are also important when it comes

to coping with testing anxiety. Practicing breathing exercises and relaxing muscles could be a big

help to get rid of stress and anxiety. Lastly, visit your school's counseling center. Counselor's

know the amount of stress and anxiety students go through and can help you and give you all the

support you need to succeed (ADAA, 2016).

As a conclusion, testing anxiety is a serious disorder that many students from elementary

to college stuffer from. Fortunately, there are many ways to cope and manage ones anxiety. I
 3

believe with the proper help and tools, Kayta will able to cope and lower her anxiety which will

help pass her chemistry exam.

Works Cited

Hall-Flavin, D. K., M.D. (2014, October 10). Is it possible to overcome test

anxiety? Retrieved February 13, 2017, from Mayo Clinic website:

 4

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/generalized-anxiety-disorder/

expert-answers/test-anxiety/faq-20058195

Boyacioglu, N., & Kucuk, L. (2011). Irrational Beliefs and Test Anxiety in Turkish School

Adolescents. The Journal Of School Nursing, 27(6), 447-54.

Test Anxiety. (n.d.). Retrieved February 13, 2017, from ADAA website:

https://www.adaa.org/living-with-anxiety/children/test-anxiety