Students who do this may be overly conscious of their self-image and what others will think about them if they finish among the last. As ridiculous as this concern may appear, it is a status symbol to some students. Teachers should diffuse such a situation the moment it is suspected. Fear of finishing last is a distraction that should be totally ignored by the students who need the maximum time to finish a test. Requiring students to keep their test papers at their desks until test time expires will help reduce this distraction.
Some anxiety actually stimulates the adrenal gland to produce an extra burst of positive energy.
Reminding students to proofread their test answers will help eliminate careless mistakes. Unless a test question was misread or the incorrect answer was inadvertently selected, the original answer should remain unchanged. The amount of time reserved for proofreading answers will depend on the type and length of a test. An essay test may require more proofing time than an objective test. Students who finish their tests early should use the remaining time to proof their answers.