Best questions for high school freshman student survey about test anxiety

Here are some of the best questions for a high school freshman student survey about test anxiety, plus tips on how to create them. You can easily generate a conversational survey like this in seconds with Specific—no technical skills or research background required.

10 best open-ended questions for test anxiety surveys

Open-ended questions invite students to share their experiences and feelings in their own words, which is powerful for unpacking nuanced issues like test anxiety. They're ideal when you want honest stories, personal coping methods, or context behind a student's stress. This depth is crucial, especially when you consider that nearly 80% of high school freshmen in some regions report some level of test anxiety—far higher than the general student population[1].

1. How do you usually feel before taking an important test at school?

2. Can you describe a recent situation where you experienced test anxiety?

3. What specific thoughts go through your mind when you begin to feel anxious about a test?

4. Are there any physical symptoms you notice (like headaches or stomachaches) when you’re anxious about tests? Please share your experiences.

5. What strategies (if any) have you tried to help manage your test anxiety? How well do they work?

6. How does test anxiety affect your performance, participation, or motivation in school?

7. Who do you usually talk to when you feel anxious about a test? What’s that conversation like?

8. Are there certain subjects or types of tests that trigger your anxiety more than others? Tell me about them.

9. Can you recall a time when you successfully overcame your test anxiety? What helped you in that situation?

10. If you could ask your teachers or school for help with test anxiety, what would you want or need?

Best single-select multiple-choice questions for test anxiety

Single-select multiple-choice questions shine when you need to quantify patterns or make participation easier. They’re less intimidating than open answers—especially for students who feel nervous or unsure about their wording. These are also great conversation starters and can help you discover themes to dive deeper into with automated or manual follow-ups. Including a choice like “Other” opens the door to stories or reasons you hadn’t thought of.

Question: How would you describe your typical level of test anxiety?

• No anxiety at all

• Mild anxiety (nervous but manageable)

• Moderate anxiety (impacts my focus somewhat)

• Severe anxiety (makes it hard to think or perform)

Question: When do you notice your test anxiety starting to increase?

• Days before the test

• The night before

• Just before the test starts

• During the test

• Other

Question: Which subjects make you feel more anxious during tests?

• Math

• Language Arts

• Science

• Social Studies

• I feel anxious in all subjects

• I rarely feel anxious in tests

When to followup with "why?" Once a student selects an option—especially “moderate” or “severe” anxiety—asking “why do you feel this way?” in a follow-up helps unpack hidden causes or context. For example, if a student selects “days before the test,” a smart follow-up might be: “What usually triggers your feelings early—worry over preparation, pressure from family, or something else?”

When and why to add the "Other" choice? If your options can’t possibly cover every situation, add “Other” so students feel seen even if their experience is unique. When they select “Other,” a follow-up prompt like “Please describe your reason” often uncovers insights no one had previously considered.

NPS-style question for measuring test anxiety support

The NPS (Net Promoter Score) question, typically used to measure loyalty or satisfaction, makes perfect sense in a high school freshman survey on test anxiety if you reframe it to ask about the likelihood of recommending the school’s support resources. This lets you easily segment students into “promoters,” “passives,” and “detractors,” and target follow-up initiatives. Check our dedicated NPS survey for high school freshmen to see how it’s built.

The power of follow-up questions

We believe the future of survey insights belongs to conversational surveys—and the magic really happens with automated follow-up questions. When you let the AI ask the right follow-ups, as in Specific’s automated followup feature, you surface much richer data.

• Student: “I just get anxious in math tests.”

• AI follow-up: “What about math tests in particular makes you nervous? Is it the type of questions, the time pressure, or something else?”

Without that follow-up, you get an unclear, not-so-useful reply. With follow-ups, you get actionable context.

How many followups to ask? Usually, 2–3 carefully-placed follow-ups per question are enough to clarify intent and context, while keeping survey fatigue low. Specific lets you set limits and even skip to the next question when you’ve found what you need.

This makes it a conversational survey—instead of a lifeless form. Students feel genuinely heard, and you gain a dialogue that would be hard to replicate via email or paper surveys.

AI survey response analysis—even if you collect a lot of open-ended replies and follow-up stories, AI makes analysis extremely easy. See how to analyze survey responses with AI for practical tips on making sense of unstructured data at scale.

Automated follow-ups are honestly a new frontier—try generating a test anxiety survey yourself and see how “alive” the process feels!

How to prompt ChatGPT for better survey questions

Getting great questions from AI is about providing enough context. If you simply write:

Suggest 10 open-ended questions for High School Freshman Student survey about Test Anxiety.

You’ll get a functional list, but you’ll get even better results with more detail:

I'm a school counselor designing a test anxiety survey for 14-year-old freshmen. Our goal is to identify who needs support, what symptoms they're experiencing, and which resources they'd find helpful. Suggest 10 open-ended questions, focusing on emotional well-being, symptom triggers, and support systems. Keep language casual and student-friendly.

Next, ask the AI:

Look at the questions and categorize them. Output categories with the questions under them.

Review those categories—is “coping strategies” or “family pressure” a theme you want to dig deeper into? Continue with:

Generate 10 questions for categories Coping Strategies and Support Resources.

The more detail you provide, the more specific and relevant the questions will become.

What is a conversational survey?

A conversational survey is a feedback tool that feels like chatting with a real person. Instead of dumping out long forms, students answer bite-sized questions, receive thoughtful follow-ups, and engage just like in a guided interview. This format stands out for survey fatigue reduction, richer data collection, and higher quality insights—especially for complex topics like test anxiety, where context and emotion matter.

Let’s look at why AI survey generation is changing the game:

Why use AI for high school freshman student surveys? Because it adapts in real time, handles the heavy lifting, and enables you to create richer, more empathetic surveys. When over 79% of freshmen may struggle with test anxiety in some populations[1], it’s smart to use every advantage, including AI-powered tools and conversational interfaces.

If you want a guide to creating a test anxiety survey step-by-step, we’ve curated easy walkthroughs and tips.

With Specific, you get a best-in-class conversational survey experience for both you and your students, making feedback seamless, natural, and far more engaging than any manual process.

See this test anxiety survey example now

Start understanding your students’ real needs and uncover hidden patterns with smart, conversational surveys—built and analyzed by AI. Don’t miss the chance to connect on a deeper level and make every response actionable.