• Education -> Pedagogy and Educational Psychology

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Does excessive testing negatively impact student mental health and wellbeing?

Braden Tregale

Honestly, I think excessive testing can definitely have a negative impact on a student's mental health and wellbeing. It's just so stressful! I mean, when you think about it, we're already dealing with so many things on a daily basis - homework, extracurricular activities, trying to maintain a social life... the last thing we need is to worry about getting perfect scores on every single test that comes our way.

I know personally, whenever there's a big test coming up, I feel like the weight of the world is on my shoulders. I can't sleep, I can't eat... it's just awful. And I know I'm not alone in feeling this way. I've seen friends and classmates who are normally really happy and relaxed suddenly become anxious and tense when they know they have a test coming up.

Plus, I think there's a real danger of burnout when we're constantly being tested. It's like we never get a break! And when we do finally get a chance to relax, it's hard to let go of that stress. We're always thinking about the next test or assignment that's due.

Of course, I'm not saying that testing is completely useless. Obviously we need some way to evaluate how well we're learning and to make sure we're grasping the concepts we need to succeed. But I do think we need to find a better balance.

Maybe instead of relying so heavily on traditional exams, we could try more hands-on projects or group assignments. That way, we'd still be learning and being evaluated, but we'd also be able to work together and build valuable teamwork and leadership skills.

Overall, I think it's important for educators to remember that we're more than just students - we're human beings with emotions and lives outside of school. We need to find a way to challenge ourselves academically without sacrificing our mental health and wellbeing.