4 Essential Steps to Beat Exam Stress

Most students get a little stressed over the exam period. No matter how hard you study, exams still cause anxiety and when you are feeling pressured you may not be performing at your prime. If you find exam time difficult or if you think nervousness may be negatively affecting your exam performance, here are some practical ways in which you can beat the exam blues.

Be prepared

One of the greatest causes of anxiety during exams is not being adequately prepared. The stress of feeling like you haven’t studied enough is far worse than studying, so make an effort to plan ahead and stick to your study schedule.

Sometimes you feel unprepared because you ran out of time and didn’t complete your study schedule. Make sure you plan appropriately by timing yourself when reading or studying a page. When you know how much time each page takes, you can work out how much time you need to leave for studying.

If you have trouble planning your study times, ask your teacher or tutor to help you to correctly estimate how much time to allot to each subject.

Practice makes perfect

One of the best ways to prepare for an exam and to gain confidence is to do some practice exams. Ask your teacher or tutor to give you some previous papers so you can test your skills. Doing previous exam papers not only helps to ensure that you have all the skills you need, it also helps you to grow accustomed to the way in which your teachers ask questions and the kinds of answers they are looking for.

If you feel overwhelmed, ask your tutor for help with your exam preparation. Your tutor can help you to identify areas where you need help and do test exams with you.

Take care of yourself

One of the biggest mistakes students make is to study all night and live on junk food while they cram for exams. Both lack of sleep and poor nutrition lead to a disappointing exam performance. Your brain needs the right fuel in order to function optimally. Just like you wouldn’t run a marathon without a good night’s sleep and a healthy breakfast, you shouldn’t attempt an exam without being well rested.

Get plenty of exercise. Physical activity helps to relieve stress and it’s a nice way to take a break. Keep hydrated by drinking plenty of water.

Relax, you’ve Got This!

Confidence is your most useful companion over exam time. If you start to doubt yourself, your thoughts will become self-fulfilling prophecies. When you catch yourself thinking negatively, just stop. Take a break and change your internal dialogue to a more positive one. You can do it! Good luck with your exams. 

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