Why do we suffer from exam anxiety?

There may be different factors contributing to exam anxiety. You don’t need to know why you have exam anxiety in order to try to develop new approaches, and to practice managing it.

Here are some examples of what can contribute to exam anxiety.

Performance anxiety, perfectionist expectations and fear of failure can make you put a lot of pressure on yourself.
Some students experience external pressure such as parents with high expectations, or living in student accommodation that is conditional on obtaining a certain number of credits, or being an international student having to pay course fees which increases the financial pressure to pass exams on time.
Negative experiences from previous exams can create a vicious circle. This can affect self-confidence and create negative associations and expectations for upcoming exams.
Lack of preparation due to inadequate study strategies. In this case, improving your study technique might be helpful. Find out what student support resources are available at your study location.