The Surprising Link Between Retrieval Quizzes and Exam Anxiety

Do practice tests (quizzes) reduce or provoke anxiety?

Recent research suggests that practice testing, often seen as a source of stress, can actually diminish test anxiety when integrated appropriately into the curriculum.

Interventions are available to enhance students’ academic learning and performance and have long been an important pursuit for researchers and teachers (including students, parents and educational policy-makers).

Over the last decade, studies have been conducted to investigate whether practice tests (quizzes) reduce or increase anxiety, with findings inconsistent and fragmented, and little or no clear guidance for practitioners. This new research provides a review of 24