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Hypnotherapy for Test Anxiety and Exam Stress, by Video
You’ve done the work, then you sit down, read the first question and your mind goes blank. Test anxiety is about getting access to what you already know. We work on it in four sessions, by video, before the exams arrive.
At a glance: 4 sessions by video. $1,000 in total paid upfront, or $1,200 paid session by session.
Or call 0427 218 092
15-minute phone call, no obligation. I’ll call you within 24 hours. See what it costs
- 14 yearsin clinical practice
- FellowAustralian Society of Clinical Hypnotherapists
- AHA approvedCPD courses I teach other hypnotherapists
- 1 to 1with Ernest, by video from home
Ernest McLeod, clinical hypnotherapistAn Adelaide practice, seeing clients across Australia by video. Fourteen years in practice.
Does any of this sound familiar?
- You study well at home, then freeze when the paper is turned over.
- The night before an exam, sleep won’t come.
- Your stomach turns for days as an exam date gets closer.
- You re-read your notes again and again, and still feel unprepared.
- After an exam you replay every answer you might have got wrong.
- You’ve thought about dropping a subject, or a course, to avoid the assessment.
If you recognise yourself, or your son or daughter, in a few of those, read on. The free call is a good place to ask questions.
Why your mind goes blank in an exam
Some nerves before an exam are normal and can even sharpen you up. Test anxiety is when the nerves get big enough to crowd out your thinking. Your body goes into alarm, attention narrows onto the threat, and the calm, searching kind of thinking that retrieves a formula or a quote gets harder to reach.
That’s why telling yourself to calm down, or simply studying longer, often doesn’t fix it. More hours with your notes don’t switch off an alarm, and logic is hard to reach once the alarm is going. Hypnotherapy works on that alarm response and on where your attention goes under pressure.
How hypnosis helps with test anxiety
Hypnosis means focused, relaxed attention. You stay fully aware and in charge, it isn’t sleep, and you can’t be made to do anything you don’t want to. In that relaxed, focused state, we rehearse the build-up, the walk into the exam room and the first look at the paper, and practise staying steady through each.
You’ll learn a short self-hypnosis routine you can use the night before and in the minutes before you start. It’s a support for your study, not a substitute. Calm lets you use what you know. It can’t put in what hasn’t been learned, so we work around your revision, not instead of it.
How hypnotherapy for test anxiety works online
- A free 15-minute call
You tell me what’s going on. I tell you honestly whether I think I can help. No obligation, and no hard sell. Ask me anything you like about hypnosis too, such as how it feels or whether you stay in charge.
- Your first session
The start of your program. We look at when the anxiety starts, what happens in your body and your head on the day, and which exams are coming up. Then we begin the work in the same session.
- Sessions by video and an audio to take home
Your other three sessions follow by video, ideally spaced across the weeks before your exams. You join from home. All you need is a quiet room, a reliable connection and a pair of headphones. After your sessions you receive an audio recording to listen to between appointments, and you’ll learn simple self-hypnosis too. Progress doesn’t have to wait for the next session.
Starting a few weeks before exams gives you time to practise the self-hypnosis until it’s automatic. If your exams are sooner than that, tell me on the free call and we’ll talk about what’s realistic.
Not sure yet whether this is for you?That’s what the free call is for. Fifteen minutes, by phone, at a time that suits you. If you’re 18 or over and studying at uni or TAFE, or sitting a professional exam, the free call is a good place to start.
What the research actually says
Exam anxiety is one of the better-studied areas for hypnosis. In 2022 the World Journal of Psychiatry published a trial by Zhang and colleagues with 90 medical students who had high test anxiety. Half had hypnosis and half had progressive muscle relaxation, a well-established relaxation technique, with the same number and length of sessions: six weekly sessions of about 30 minutes. The hypnosis group ended with lower test anxiety than the relaxation group, and the difference was still there two months later.
Here’s the other half, which I think matters just as much. When the researchers counted how many students improved enough to make a real difference, the two groups were close: 64.0% with hypnosis and 62.22% with relaxation. Those figures describe improvement in each group, not a success rate for hypnosis. And it’s one trial, in one group of students, so I treat it as encouraging rather than settled.
Is hypnosis for test anxiety safe?
For most adults, yes. Hypnosis doesn’t involve medicine, and side effects are mild and brief: you might feel a little drowsy or emotional afterwards. If the anxiety reaches beyond exams, or has affected your sleep, eating or mood for weeks, please talk to a GP or your university counsellor as well. Hypnotherapy isn’t the right place to start if you live with psychosis or a severe mental health condition that isn’t being treated. In that case, talk to your GP or treating clinician first, and I’ll tell you honestly in the free call if someone else should help.
What hypnotherapy for test anxiety costs: $1,000
The 4-session program
Four sessions, designed to help you stay steady before and during exams, and to give you a routine you can use on your own.
- 4-session program: $1,000 paid upfront (that’s $250 a session), or $300 per session as you go ($1,200 for all four).
- Session length: your first session runs up to 90 minutes, and follow-up sessions up to 60 minutes.
- Prepaid sessions are valid for 12 months. Any you don’t need can be used for something else, or passed on to someone you know.
- Pay by card or bank transfer. Prices in AUD. No GST applies.
Or call 0427 218 092
When to talk to a GP or counsellorIf the anxiety isn’t only about exams, if it’s affecting sleep, eating or mood for weeks at a time, or if reading, writing or concentration have always been harder than they should be, please talk to a GP or your school or university counsellor. A GP can refer you to a psychologist with a Medicare rebate through Better Access. Schools and universities also have processes for special exam arrangements, and those need time to organise.
Who you’ll be working with
I’m Ernest McLeod. I’ve practised as a clinical hypnotherapist for fourteen years, with an Adelaide practice and clients right across Australia by video. Before that I spent twenty years as a software engineer and designer, which probably explains why I care more about what works than what sounds impressive.
- Time Line Therapy® Practitioner
- Fellow, ASCH
- Trainer: AHA-approved CPD courses
- Certified NLP Practitioner
What I’m not: hypnotherapy isn’t a registered profession in Australia, so I’m not AHPRA-registered and I’m not a psychologist. My ASCH Fellowship is voluntary. I also train other hypnotherapists. My courses on quitting smoking, vaping and gambling count as professional development (CPD), approved by the Australian Hypnotherapists’ Association. More about me
Questions people ask about hypnotherapy for test anxiety
Does hypnotherapy work for test anxiety?
There’s some encouraging evidence. In a 2022 trial with 90 medical students, the group who had hypnosis ended with lower test anxiety than a group who had relaxation training, and the gap was still there two months later. But the share of students who improved enough to make a real difference was similar in both groups. It’s one trial, so it’s a promising sign rather than the final word, and it works alongside good revision.
What is the success rate of hypnotherapy for test anxiety?
I don’t quote one. Advertised success rates usually come from small studies nobody has checked, or from a practitioner’s own records. The 64.0% on this page isn’t a success rate: it’s the share of students in one trial whose anxiety improved enough to matter, and 62.22% in the relaxation group did too. The published research is a fairer guide.
Will I lose control?
No. You hear everything, you remember it, and you can stop at any point. Hypnosis is focused, relaxed attention, a bit like being absorbed in a good book.
Will hypnotherapy improve my marks?
I can’t promise that, and the research measured anxiety, not grades. What calm does is let you use what you’ve already learned. Good revision still does the heavy lifting.
Does hypnotherapy work over video?
Yes. The work depends on your attention and on what we do together, and both come through a video call well. Students often find it easy to fit a session around classes from home.
How many hypnotherapy sessions will I need for test anxiety?
The program is four sessions. Ideally they’re spread across the weeks leading up to your exams, and we review as we go.
What if I don’t need all four sessions?
Prepaid sessions are valid for 12 months. Any you don’t need can be used for something else, or passed on to someone you know.
Do you see school students?
I work with adults only, aged 18 and over, so this program is for university and TAFE students, and adults sitting professional or licensing exams. For a school student, their GP or school counsellor is the right first step, and Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800) is there any time.
Is it covered by Medicare or my health fund?
Hypnotherapy isn’t covered by Medicare, and you don’t need a GP referral. Health fund extras cover varies, so check with your fund before you start.
Ready when you are
Tell me the best time to reach you and I’ll call within 24 hours. Fifteen minutes, no obligation.
Request a free consultationOr call 0427 218 092
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Where these numbers come from
Zhang Y, Yang XX, Luo JY, et al. (2022). Randomized trial estimating effects of hypnosis versus progressive muscle relaxation on medical students’ test anxiety and attentional bias. World Journal of Psychiatry 12(6): 801-813. doi.org/10.5498/wjp.v12.i6.801. 90 students randomised; six weekly sessions of about 30 minutes; clinically significant improvement 64.0% (hypnosis) and 62.22% (relaxation).
Hypnotherapy is a complementary therapy, not medical treatment, a diagnosis, or a substitute for care from your doctor or a psychologist. If your symptoms are severe or persistent, please speak to your GP. Last updated 9 October 2026.