Anxiety on test day can make you feel like you’re alone in the wilderness.

You might feel trapped in your own mind, afraid that one wrong answer could collapse your entire semester (or future career.) The next thing you know, your mind has wandered so far that you’ve only managed to answer a couple of questions. Meanwhile, the clock ticks faster and faster.

If this experience sounds familiar, you’re far from being the only one. In his book Anxiety in Schools, psychology professor Jerrell Cassady notes that between 25 and 40 percent of students experience test anxiety to some extent.

Just the thought that a quarter of your class is also worried can be enough to settle you down. We’ll talk more about that later.