Maths anxiety is REAL

It is the subject that undeniably causes the most anxiety among learners (and parents!). It is also the subject on which the most time and money is spent. Yes, you guessed right! Maths is the culprit. An alarming number of learners rely on tutors to help them navigate the complexities of mathematics. What’s more is that the additional time spent on mastering mathematics sometimes have a detrimental effect on other subjects.
Not all children are naturally gifted with numbers. Have you ever heard of a child who can’t draw a stick figure having a tutor to better his artistic abilities? Despite this, assessments get more and more difficult and the pressure and anxiety increases.To do well in maths, you obviously have to prepare well, but you also have to be calm and be able to think clearly while taking a test. Anxiety and stress have the opposite effect and will most definitely influence one in a test environment. So how would you know if you child suffers from maths anxiety or if he or she just didn’t prepare well enough for a test?
1. Silly mistakes Making a few silly mistakes in a test is normal, but a test riddled with silly mistakes can be an indication of stress.
2. Time management Children suffering from test anxiety have a tendency to get stuck on a problem. Although they are taught to move on and later return to the problem, the stress of not being able to answer the question can be debilitating and will influence accuracy in the rest of the test. It will be common for these kids to not complete an assessment in time.
3. Faultless preparation Another strong indicator of possible test anxiety is if your child studies hard and is able to complete practice tests nearly faultless, but then struggles to get more than 60% in the actual test.
4. Last-minute revision A child who is frantically revising and checking methods just before entering the class is usually a highly stressed child. The only thing that this last-minute revision will achieve is confusion, something you definitely do not want before writing a maths test.
Maths – Anxiety = Success
To identify maths anxiety is not that difficult, but to minimise the anxiety is far harder. Minimising anxiety requires teamwork with parents, teachers and learners working together. The teacher plays a cardinal role and if you suspect your child may be suffering from maths anxiety, the teacher must be told. Being put on the spot in class to solve a problem is probably the worst thing that can happen to someone suffering from maths anxiety.
Learn from your mistakes Much research has been done on this subject and the role teachers play in minimising anxiety. One simple strategy is for a teacher to allow for re-testing. The real learning happens when you get the answer wrong and learn from your mistakes. Allowing a child to retake a test will help the child learn from their previous mistakes.
Effort trumps results Another strategy is to assess more regularly, less content at a time. One teacher even stopped calling it ‘tests’ and now uses ‘checkpoints’ to assess where his Grade 5 Maths class is at. The ‘checkpoints’ always include a few problems from the previous assessment to allow learners to keep revising what they’ve already learned. “The biggest difference between our old tests and the checkpoints is a marked reduction in student stress levels,” says Steven Goldman (Edutopia, April 2022). As parents we have to manage our expectations. A child that suffers from maths anxiety should receive a lot of positive reinforcement. More emphasis should be placed on the effort and less on the results.

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Woman writing math equations on a chalkboard, holding a notebook, with a thought bubble of the pi symbol.

Preparing for Maths Assessments

By Estelle Barnard • October 22, 2025

Mathematics rewards practice with purpose: spaced revision, plenty of self-testing, making notes, checking with feedback, and calm, consistent routines. Below you’ll find exactly how to do this at different stages of school. The Big Three for All Learners Space it out Short, regular sessions beat last-minute marathons. Plan 20–40 minute slots across the week and revisit topics before you forget them. This is known as the spacing effect (Cepeda et al., 2008). Retrieve, don’t just reread Close the book and try to solve or recall from memory. Use past questions, quick quizzes, and “write-from-memory” summaries. Retrieval practice strengthens long-term learning, especially when you check your answers (Roediger & Butler, 2011). Think about your thinking Teach learners to plan, monitor, and evaluate how they study. Simple questions like, “What will I practise today? How will I know I’ve improved?” turn revision from passive to purposeful (EEF, 2018). Primary School (Grades 4–7) Goals Build number sense and fluency (times tables, fractions, decimals). Understand why methods work, not just how to perform them. Study Rhythm Mon/Wed/Fri: 20 min mixed practice (across old and new topics). Tue/Thu: 20 min facts fluency (typically something like time tables or fractions) Weekend: 25–30 min “Teach-Back” session: learner explains one concept aloud (e.g. “How do we find a common denominator?”). High School (Grades 8–12) Goals Strengthen algebraic fluency, geometry, trigonometry, statistics, and calculus. Build exam stamina and the ability to select appropriate methods. Exam Preparation Plan Weeks –4 to –3: Cover all topics and create a spaced schedule. Weeks –3 to –2: Attempt past-paper sections; very important to check with detailed memos. Prepare an error log of frequent mistakes. Weeks –2 to –1: Interleave topics and focus more on challenging topics (e.g., trig, functions, geometry). Final Week: Short, focused recall sessions from your “error log.” The Value of Writing Your Own Notes and Step-by-Step Summaries One of the most effective yet overlooked study habits is summarising key procedures in your own words . Mathematics is full of repeatable processes: simplifying fractions, expanding algebraic expressions, finding derivatives using first principles, or completing the square in a quadratic equation. Writing out the steps helps learners form mental blueprints they can rely on in tests. Why this works Research shows that encoding information through writing and explaining strengthens understanding and recall (Dunlosky et al., 2013; MIT Teaching + Learning Lab, 2020). When learners create their own step-by-step summaries: They engage in sense-making, not just copying. They uncover misconceptions early. They connect formulas with reasoning (“why does this step come next?”). They create a quick reference guide for revision. Examples: Simplifying fractions: Find common factors → Divide numerator and denominator → Check if it can simplify further. Completing the square: Divide so that x squared stands on its own →Take the constant term to the right-hand side →Add half of the coefficient of x squared to both sides → Factorise the left-hand side to form a perfect square → Simplify and solve for x. Visualisation and Trigonometry Trigonometry can be tricky until you visualise how angles behave on the Cartesian plane . Remember: in trigonometry, angles are measured from the positive x-axis , moving anticlockwise for positive angles and clockwise for negative ones. (See the labelled diagram above, showing where each trigonometric ratio is positive or negative, including the reduction formulae.) Using StudyChamp Resources Effectively StudyChamp’s detailed memos and step-by-step worked examples make maths study easier: Compare your solution to the memo. Highlight key reasoning steps. Add the process to your “Maths Procedures Notebook”. By exam time, that notebook becomes your own personalised study guide: practical, and written in your own words. References Cepeda, N. J., et al. (2008). Spacing effects in learning: A temporal ridgeline of optimal retention. Psychological Science, 19(11). Dunlosky, J., et al. (2013). Improving Students’ Learning With Effective Learning Techniques. Psychological Science in the Public Interest. Education Endowment Foundation (EEF). Metacognition and Self-Regulated Learning Guidance Report. Roediger, H. L., & Butler, A. C. (2011). The critical role of retrieval practice in long-term retention. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 15(1). MIT Teaching + Learning Lab. (2020). Note-Taking and Sense-Making Strategies. Massachusetts Institute of Technology.