Practical Advice – Coping with Exam Stress
What is Exam Stress?
Most students experience some degree of exam stress. In fact, a little can help you to feel alert and focused. But too much can become overwhelming and affect your performance. Symptoms of excessive exam stress can include loss of confidence, lack of concentration, insomnia, nausea, and feelings of high anxiety or panic. Some students can feel depressed or irritable, and their eating habits or social relationships can be affected.
What can you do to reduce exam stress?
- Adjust your lifestyle
- Learn to relax
- Manage your preparation for the exam effectively
- Learn strategies to cope in the exam itself
Exam stress can be tackled successfully, and it's never too late to do something helpful.
Adjusting Your Lifestyle
Treat the exam like running a race. Being in good condition physically and mentally is important.
- Pay attention to your diet and take regular, aerobic exercise such as walking, dancing, swimming.
- Avoid caffeine, which in large doses causes tension, irritability and anxiety. Remember, caffeine occurs in tea, cola drinks and chocolate as well as coffee. Drink plenty of water.
- Make sure you spend time relaxing and having fun.
- Try to get enough sleep – tiredness promotes anxiety. Spend some time unwinding before you go to bed. (See our advice on coping with insomnia for further suggestions)
Learning to Relax
Mastering the following quick relaxation exercise can reduce your overall anxiety and help you cope with panicky feelings.
- Say to yourself 'STOP'
- Take a deep breath. Hold it for a few seconds
- Exhale slowly, relaxing your shoulder and arms
- Breathe in, and hold briefly again
- Exhale slowly, this time relaxing your facial and neck muscles
- Pause for a few moments longer while you let your breathing return to a more natural level, then return to whatever you were doing.
Doing this exercise regularly throughout the day will help to lower your anxiety level. Use it to clear your mind and help you focus. It's especially useful during an exam, as a quick 'calm down', so that you can get on with the task in hand.
In the run-up to the exam, develop relaxing routines: long baths, exercise, listening to music and so on. Endeavour to keep a sense of perspective. Exams are important, but are only a small part of your life overall.
Details of other relaxation exercises are available from the Counselling Service.
Preparing for the exam
- Ensure you know the date, time and place of each exam well in advance.
- Check out whether any of the workshops offered by the Student Study Support Unit could be helpful to you.
- It's never too late to make a revision plan or timetable, and doing so will help you prioritise and feel more in control. But be realistic!
- Schedule regular breaks, and do take them. Make breaks longer as the day goes on. Remember, most people can only concentrate fully for about 45 minutes at a time. (see our suggestions for improving your concentration for more ideas).
- Don't try to revise for too long in one day, especially as exams draw nearer. Avoid working late into the night. Work on your most difficult subjects during your 'peak' periods, usually between 10 and 12 noon, and 3pm and 5pm.
- Consider revision with friends – splitting responsibility for photocopying or making revision notes can save a lot of time.
- Avoid any other stressful activities during the exam period, like taking a driving test or visiting the dentist.
- Have your bottle of water, sweets and so on organised the day before.
Coping with the Exam
- Allow yourself plenty of time to get ready and make your way to the exam. Relax by listening to music or take a short walk.
- Just before the exam. avoid people who are obviously very nervous. It can be contagious.
- Use your quick calm down as soon as you sit down and whenever you feel your anxiety level rising.
- Try not to have a post-mortem once the exam is over. Just aim for a constructive appraisal of your time management, and so on.
- Plan something you'll enjoy after each exam. Exams are emotionally, mentally and physically demanding and you need to recharge.
GOOD LUCK!
