Overcome medical school exam anxiety with these tips, strategies

Medical students experience anxiety at higher rates than the general public, and a 2024 literature review determined that “many are uniquely affected by additional test anxiety throughout their medical education.”

Eliminating test anxiety for medical students isn’t practical, according to Mark Meyer, MD. 

“Let’s be clear: All four years of medical school are stressful,” said Dr. Meyer, senior associate dean for student affairs at the University of Kansas School of Medicine (KU). “On top of that, any time a person is measured, it's a period of stress. … And if we're going to measure your knowledge or how well you interview a patient. That's going to create stress.”

In this article, medical students will get valuable information regarding:

• How to build confidence as you adjust to medical school exams.
• When and how to seek help if exam anxiety or performance raises concerns.
• Why maintaining a wellness routine matters for anxiety management.
• How to use performance data to identify and address root causes of anxiety.
• Why exam anxiety tends to decrease with increased repetitions.