For many children, tests and exams are simply part of school life. They may feel a few butterflies, then settle down and get on with it. For others, exam time brings a rush of physical fear. Their heart races, their mind goes blank and they feel as if they are about to fail before they have even turned the paper over.
You might notice your child revising endlessly but never feeling ready, or avoiding revision completely because it feels too overwhelming. Some children sleep badly, feel sick on school mornings or get upset at the smallest things. One parent put it this way, “I know my daughter is capable, but as soon as exams are mentioned her whole body seems to panic.”
If this sounds familiar, you are not alone. At The Surrey Institute Of Clinical Hypnotherapy we see many families where exam anxiety in children and teenagers is affecting confidence, wellbeing and school performance. You can also visit our children and teenagers hub page for an overview of the different problems we help young people with.
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When Exam Nerves Become A Problem
It is normal for children and teenagers to feel some nervousness before a big test. A little adrenaline can even help them focus. We tend to talk about exam anxiety in children and teenagers when the worry starts to spill over into everyday life. You might see tears, outbursts or shutdowns whenever revision is mentioned, or notice that your child’s marks do not reflect the effort they have put in.
Some young people tell us that their mind goes blank as soon as they see the exam paper. Others describe feeling as if they are about to be judged, even when they are doing a small classroom quiz. A teenager once said, “I know the work when I am at home, but the moment I sit down in the exam room my brain just disappears.” That kind of exam anxiety in children and teenagers is a sign that the nervous system has started treating exams as if they are real danger rather than a challenge.
How Exam Anxiety Builds Over Time
Exam anxiety in children and teenagers rarely comes from a single bad test. It usually develops gradually, through a mixture of temperament, school experiences and the messages they hear about success and failure. A few shaky results, a harsh comment from a teacher or a sense of falling behind can quietly combine with perfectionism or low confidence.
Over time, the brain begins to link exams with threat. The body responds with racing thoughts, tense muscles, sweaty palms and a tight chest. Even when your child knows the material, exam anxiety in children and teenagers can hijack their ability to think clearly. They may avoid revision to escape the uncomfortable feelings, which then reinforces the belief that they are not ready or not good enough.
Parents can easily end up walking on eggshells around revision and results. You might find yourself offering constant reassurance, checking homework late at night or letting them stay off school when the pressure feels too much. These responses are understandable and caring, however if they become the norm they can accidentally feed the cycle of exam stress in children and teenagers instead of helping it ease.
How Hypnotherapy Helps Children With Exam Anxiety
Hypnotherapy gives us a calm and child friendly way to work with the deeper emotional patterns behind exam anxiety in children and teenagers. Instead of only talking about exams, we help young people use their imagination to rehearse feeling steady, clear and focused in situations that would usually trigger panic.
In a typical session we might use stories, simple imagery and age appropriate explanations about how the brain and nervous system respond to pressure. Children and teenagers are guided to notice the difference between being “stuck on red alert” and being in a more settled, balanced state. They can then begin to pair thoughts of tests and exam rooms with slower breathing, a more grounded body and a more helpful inner voice.
One teenager summed it up after a few sessions, “The exams are still important, but they do not feel like a threat any more.” That is the aim of hypnotherapy for exam anxiety in children and teenagers, not to pretend that results do not matter at all, but to bring the pressure back down to a level where they can think clearly and show what they are capable of.
Evidence And Research
Large national surveys show that mental health difficulties are common in children and young people, including worries about school and exams. The 2023 Mental Health Of Children And Young People in England survey from NHS England reported that around one in five eight to twenty five year olds met the threshold for a probable mental disorder. You can read the summary of these findings on the NHS England website at NHS England, and see how exam pressure and school stress are highlighted in the statistics collated by YoungMinds.
The NICE guideline on social anxiety disorder, NICE CG159, highlights the value of clear education about anxiety, practical coping skills and graded exposure to feared situations, often involving parents.
A twenty year meta analysis of hypnosis for mental and physical health problems found that hypnosis can produce medium to large treatment effects, with some of the strongest results in children and adolescents, particularly for pain, medical procedures and anxiety related difficulties. You can read this open access review by Rosendahl and colleagues in Frontiers In Psychology at Frontiers In Psychology.
What Sessions Are Like For Children And Teenagers
At The Surrey Institute Of Clinical Hypnotherapy we work in a relaxed, down to earth way. The first part of the session is usually spent talking with you and your child together so we can understand what has been happening at school and at home. We ask about their strengths as well as their worries, because exam anxiety in children and teenagers often sits alongside many abilities that have been forgotten in the stress.
When we move into the hypnotherapy itself, most children feel as if they are listening to a story or guided daydream while sitting comfortably with their eyes closed or gently focused. There is no sense of being out of control. Teenagers are actively involved in shaping the work so that it fits their personality and their goals, for example imagining themselves walking calmly into an exam hall or handling a tricky question without panicking.
We often build in practical tools that your child can use on their own during revision and on exam days, such as simple breathing patterns or quiet phrases they can repeat to themselves. Over time this combination of emotional resetting and practical strategies helps children and teenagers shift from something that feels overwhelming to something they can manage.
Working Alongside Parents Around Exams
When we help exam anxiety in children and teenagers it is almost always useful to involve parents. You see the day to day impact of school pressure and you are the one sitting at the kitchen table during revision time. Part of our role is to help you recognise when anxiety is driving your child’s reactions and to offer practical suggestions so that you can support them without accidentally reinforcing their fears.
That might include agreeing small, realistic revision goals, encouraging regular breaks and setting gentle boundaries around late night cramming. We can also talk about how to respond if your child wants to avoid certain tests, or if they come out of an exam convinced that they have failed.
Many parents tell us they feel relieved to have a clearer map of how to support children in exams in children and teenagers in a way that is kind but still keeps them moving forward.
How Many Sessions Children Usually Need
Every young person is different, however children often respond more quickly than adults. For exam anxiety in children and teenagers we might expect noticeable changes within three or four sessions, especially if there is some time before the main exam period. Some families prefer to start earlier in the school year, others come closer to exam season and we work more intensively in a shorter time frame.
Our aim is always to provide enough sessions for the new patterns to bed in, not to keep your child in therapy longer than necessary. We want them to leave with practical tools and a more balanced relationship with tests and exams, so that exam anxiety in children and teenagers does not keep limiting their choices in the future.
Frequently Asked Questions About Exam Anxiety In Children And Teenagers
It is normal for children to feel nervous about important tests, especially when there is a lot of talk about results and future plans. We usually suggest seeking help when exam anxiety in children and teenagers starts to interfere with sleep, appetite, school attendance or their ability to revise or sit exams at all. If you are unsure, an initial conversation can help you decide whether hypnotherapy is appropriate.
Yes, hypnotherapy for exam anxiety in children and teenagers is gentle and non intrusive when it is carried out by an experienced, appropriately trained therapist. Young people stay in control throughout and can stop at any time. Most experience sessions as calming and even enjoyable, which can be a welcome change from the stress they associate with exams.
No, hypnotherapy is not a shortcut around revision. Our focus is on reducing exam anxiety in children and teenagers so that the revision they do is more effective and they can think clearly on the day. We often help young people develop realistic revision routines and ways of managing procrastination alongside the deeper work on anxiety.
It can be helpful to start work on exam anxiety in children and teenagers a few months before the main exams so that there is time to make changes gradually. However, even a small number of sessions closer to exam time can still make a meaningful difference. We will talk with you about your child’s timetable and suggest a plan that feels realistic.
Getting Help For Exam Anxiety In Children And Teenagers
If you recognise your child in what you have read here, you do not have to manage it alone. Exam anxiety in children and teenagers is very common, especially when there is so much pressure on results, and with the right support most young people can learn to approach tests in a calmer, more confident way.
For a wider view of the issues we treat, you can return to the main problems we help with page or explore our dedicated children and teenagers hub to see other areas where we support young people and their families.
To find out how we can help, you are welcome to contact The Surrey Institute Of Clinical Hypnotherapy for an initial conversation. We can talk through what has been happening, answer any questions you may have about hypnotherapy for exam anxiety in children and teenagers, and suggest a way forward that feels manageable for you and your child.