Test anxiety may be due to past experience with tests, the pressure of doing well on a text, and the fear of failure. Test anxiety may cause different, but related symptoms such as mental distraction, physical symptoms, and mental blocks. Mental distraction is when you may be unable to concentrate or may be easily distracted by noise while studying or during a test. And probably the most feared state, mental blocks are when you have difficulty remembering the information you have studied for the exam. Testing does not have to be a negative experience.
Some students see testing as an opportunity to show what they know.
Some students need a test to act as a deadline so that they can study and learn the material that will help them in their chosen career. But other students view tests as threats. Anxiety related to test taking might be related to many things including pressure, past experience, and fear of failure. Some people think that if they do not do well on the test, that they will not be able to get the job they want, get into graduate school, or receive respect from their parents. Others may think because they have failed a test in the past, they will fail again on all tests in the future.