Dealing with exam anxiety

Although exams are not a fun experience for anyone, they can feel even harder if you feel especially panicked and worried. Although feeling stressed is normal, it is important to not let our stress get in the way of performing your best in exams, particularly due to all the hard work you have completed up until this point.

1. Regain Focus

Often, sitting in a huge exam hall with hundreds of other students can feel like an extremely nerve-wracking and pressurised environment - leading your mind to go blank, or feeling like you have forgotten everything you thought you knew. If this happens, take a deep breath or use a breathing technique, even close your eyes for a second to refocus. Remember, it's likely almost everyone in the exam will be feeling as anxious as you are, so you are not alone! Refocus, then reread the question, or go through the exam paper and mark the questions you feel you can do - often, even completing one question triggers our brain into remembering other associated information.

2. Pace yourself

Often, anxiety in an exam environment can lead students to skim read questions in an effort to write their answers down as quickly as possible. However, it is often in these high pressure environments that students find themselves at much greater risks of making silly mistakes, or potentially even writing an answer which does not actually answer the question. Although it seems basic, it is important to take a deep breath, to read slowly and even reared the questions in order to fully understand what they are asking you. Apply this technique with your answers as well - read through them thoroughly in order to catch any minor mistakes which may cost you marks.

3. Blurting at the beginning

Usually, the day before or the day of the exam tend to be the most anxiety-ridden, and any last minute revision just doesn’t seem to be able to stick. To combat this, go over the information as many times as you can right up until the exam - write it on a flashcard and go over it on the way to school, whilst waiting to be let into the exam hall - basically right until the point you have to enter the exam hall. This will help to retain the information in your short term memory. Then, as soon as the exam begins, blurt the information anywhere onto your exam paper - many STEM students do this for formulas which are difficult to memorise, so that they have the most accurate information to use during the exam.

In order to gain more specialist help ensuring success, contact The Education Suite:

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