How To Cope With Exam Stress

February 16, 2016

• A Levels
• / Advice for Parents
• / Common Entrance
• / GCSE

Exam stress can arise at any time. Exams, at whatever stage of education, can be the source of stress and anxiety. While it’s important to recognise the importance of exams, making sure you devote enough time and energy to do well, being too stressed will have a negative impact on your performance. By pre-empting this, a Private Tutor can often help you prepare for the exam periods and the worry this can bring.

A fundamental part of ensuring there’s no last-minute panic, sleepless nights and stressful breakdowns is planning. Have a look at our guide to creating a revision timetable, as this is key in making a manageable schedule to ensure you’re well prepared for each exam. Set yourself reasonable targets for revision, well in advance of each exam, making sure you’re aware of what you need to know and when each exam is. If you’re feeling overwhelmed or are unsure about where to start with revision, make time to talk to your teachers, parents and tutors so that you know which are your key areas to target. Make use of any revision sessions and resources you have access to, making you feel as prepared as possible.

It’s important to set yourself realistic goals. Talk to your Private tutor about exam technique, and how best to reach the goals you’ve set yourself. A good way of continuing this is continual assessment and reward. Use practice papers, tests and quizzes, by yourself or with friends and parents testing you to see how you are progressing. You can build up to a practice paper with your revision, and then use it to go back and target the areas that were challenging. Alongside this, it’s important to reward yourself. Whether it’s finally cracking a tricky equation or topic, getting a great mark on a past paper or just getting through a long day of revision when motivation is really low, make sure you take time to congratulate and reward yourself on these genuine achievements! Balance is key to battling stress, so make sure you balance out your hard work with time for the things you enjoy. Whether it’s seeing a friend, watching a film or treating yourself to one of your favourite foods, make time for things unrelated to revision or work that make you happy and take you away from the exam stress.

One of the most useful ways of preventing exam stress levels from getting out of control is getting into a routine. This is something a Private Tutor can help with, setting up a timetable and allocated time slots. Have a set workspace, whether it’s in a library or a separate study room at home, this should be somewhere you go specifically to work. Don’t revise on your bed or in front of the TV, as these are the places you should go to relax in, after revision is done for the day. Try to start and finish revision at the same time each day, and break the day into sessions. Aim to revise for about 8 hours each day, though you can be flexible and reasonable with how you are feeling and progressing. Make sure you take regular breaks; studying non-stop from 8am to 8pm will only make you feel more stressed. Always make some time in the evening to do something away from the books, otherwise you’ll find it hard to relax and get to sleep.

Alongside well-planned revision, taking care of your physical and mental health is a key way of preventing exam stress. During revision and exam periods try to eat as healthily as possible. This means getting the right fuel for your body to do the best possible work. Take time to have a good, energising breakfast, such as porridge or poached eggs. Have an on-hand supply of brain boosting snacks like fruit or nuts and seeds and schedule in time for a proper lunch and substantial dinner. Drinking regular water and staying hydrated is essential for your brain to stay healthy and keep concentration levels up. Don’t rely on energy drinks or sugary sodas as sugar and caffeine can negatively effect your ability to focus. Crucial to staying healthy is sleep. Sleep is the time when your brain has the chance to process information and heal, so it’s crucial to get a good amount of sleep during the exam period. Give yourself time to relax properly before bed, setting aside at least one hour before sleep with no revision and no television or electronic devices to relax and unwind. Get into a good routine of going to bed early and waking up early so that those 9am exams don’t seem so daunting!

It’s also important to keep up regular exercise during revision and exams. This helps keep mental and physical health maintained, and gives some time outside of revision to focus on you. Whether it’s a walk in the park, a dip in the swimming pool or playing tennis with friends, set-aside time to get moving away from your desk!

Finally, don’t forget to talk to people about how you’re feeling. Your Private Tutor is always there to help and work through any difficulties you could be having. Try not to engage in too much stressful revision comparing with your friends, everyone has their own way of preparing, but it’s good to offer each other support and motivation when you’re all going through this stressful time. Talk to your siblings and parents; let them know how you’re feeling. We all know a problem shared is a problem halved, so as soon as you start to feel stressed, talk it out, as there will be plenty of people willing and able to help you get back on track. Exam stress affects all people so it is important to know that you are not alone.

Take a deep breath, do your preparation and relax and you’ll come out of your exams smiling! For help and advice and to find out more about a Private Tutor, contact us today at Kings Tutors.