Is he on medication for his ADHD or anxiety? It’s often better to treat the anxiety rather than the ADHD because ADD meds will make anxiety worse.

I realize that his anxiety is centered around having the “right” answer and that’s what his concerns are, but you could try this technique: as soon as he gets his test, have him look over the whole thing without answering any questions. Then tell him to find one that he is sure he knows the answer to and answer that one. Repeat the process with all of the questions he is sure about or pretty sure about – I realize his anxiety is making him second guess everything.

If he can do this, it will increase his confidence and give him a better chance at a good grade.

Visualization is also a powerful tool and one that professional athletes use often. When your son is studying for a test, reinforce the fact that he does know the material.

Then work with him to visualize taking the test. Have him imagine it in as much detail as possible. Have him imagine sitting at his desk, how that feels. He has his pencil in his hand and he gets the test. He looks at it and feels confident that he knows the answers because he studied and worked hard. He answers each question confidently.

The more real that you can make this for him in his mind, the more effective it will be. He needs to close his eyes and really experience sitting at his desk in his classroom. what does it feel like? What does he hear? I would suggest doing this at least once a night.

What will eventually happen with repeated efforts is that when he takes a test, his subconscious mind will say “oh, we’ve been here before – this is easy” and his body will automatically relax.

Here’s a link to a site that explains it: http://www.telecollege.dcccd.edu/Services/studyhelp/StudySkills/sub/anxiety.htm

Hope this helps.