Behavioral tests of anxiety are necessary to study the mechanisms of neuropsychiatric disorders, especially anxiety disorder, and to develop preventive measures. These tests are mainly based on the contradiction between the exploring nature of rodents and their fear of the external environment, or the emotional adaptive response when faced with an inevitable or imminent aversive stimulus. The commonly used behavioral tests for anxiety in rats and mice are divided into two main categories including the unconditioned reflex type and conditioned reflex type. Unconditioned reflex tests include exploratory, social, and defensive behaviors. Classical experimental method include the open field test, elevated plus-maze test, light-dark box test, orifice plate test, and novelty suppressed feeding test. Conditioned reflex tests include the vogel conflict test and Geller-Seiffer conflict test. The experimental principles, operating steps, and evaluation indexes of these tests are systematically summarized in this article to provide a reference for researchers to choose appropriate behavioral method in anxiety behavior experiments.