How to Reduce Exam Stress

8/3/2019 How to Reduce Exam Stress

1/12

Dear Members,

For some students Exam time is the most stressful part of their life. But to be honest

this is not a correct thinking or approach. There are certain or simple things which

can really help you to avoid last time examination stress. So through this brief write-up an attempt has been made to share some points regarding how to avoid

examination stress.

The theme of this write-up isavoid exam stress through a sound exam preparation

because I personally feel that stress at the time of examination is the result of weak

preparation and shows lack of self confidence towards the preparation. So some of

the points mentioned in this write-up are connected or dealt with good exam

preparation. Please find below some of my very simple observations regarding howto avoid the examination stress:

1. Focus on conceptual study

This is one of my all time and permanent suggestion. To avoid examination stress and

secure long time professional success it is very essential to focus on conceptual study

from the very beginning of your professional journey. Conceptual study is the only

way out to deal with any sort of examination.

2. Keep discussing the topics with your friends

Another way out to deal with exam stress is to have a cool chat or exam oriented

discussion with your friends and fellow students. This is helpful for you in many ways.

Through these kinds of discussions you may clear your doubts and mentally prepare

yourself for the battle ahead. Also keep in touch with your teachers for desired

advice.


2/12

3. Give a complete reading to the course

It is also important to give a complete reading to the course content. Confidently

strike off the topic which according to you is irrelevant and never asked in the exams.This point is totally connected with your self confidence and consequently reduces

your exam stress. Remember in the exam hall a small hint or 10-20% knowledge is

enough to attempt a question. A simple reading or knowledge can be very handy for

exam.

4. Spend quality times with your family and friends

One of the best way to handle exam stress is to spend some quality time with your

family and friends. I urge you all to consider this point very important to regain the

entire consumed energy and enthusiasm. According to me during exam time family

and friends are like protein and energy boosters. They provide you the desired

strength to fight with exam stress. So after a long study session have a relaxed chat


3/12

or interaction with your family and friends. I personally feel that this is a solid method

to avoid exam stress. Try this

5. Follow a fixed study plan honestly

As per my personal understanding if you follow a regular study plan from the very

beginning, you can easily avoid the exam stress. Exam stress is somewhere

connected with your preparation method. If you are satisfied with your preparation

then it would be easy for you to say bye-bye to exam stress. So try and understand

the importance of this point and prepare and follow a detailed and flexible study plan

from the very beginning.

6. Stay away from all negative thoughts

Negative thought or thinking is one of the biggest reasons of exam stress and

consequent failure in exam. Without any proper reason avoid thinking that your

preparation is bad or you are weak in theory or practical paper. Just go ahead and

give your best shot. Do not allow negative thinking and consequent exam stress to

distract you and your positive energy.


4/12

7. Always focus on good and flexible revision

schedule

A good revision during exam time surely relaxed your mind and helps you to avoid

unnecessary exam stress. So prepare a special strategy for course revision and

prepare special short revision type notes. Plan your revision schedule as early as

possible and follow the same honestly and keep reviewing it and make necessary

changes as and when necessary. This point helps you to deal with lengthy course and

improve your revision strategy. Select easy chapters as per your strength and gain

tremendous confidence by practicing more & more questions. After gaining enough

confidence remove that chapter from your final revision list. Now there is no need to

revise that chapter during final revision and be confident about that chapter. Just

follow your revision schedule strictly.


5/12

8. Use your previous exam experience

Obviously you are not going to give first exam of your life. So use your experience of

previous exams regarding how to handle the exam pressure. Also recall your

previous exam success to generate much desired self confidence.

9. Few general observations to avoid exam stress

Some of the general observations to avoid exam stress are as follows:

i.) Stay away from unnecessary examination pressure. Remember exams are justto test your knowledge and should not be treated as a pressure cooker.

ii.) To avoid exam stress always believe in action. Thinking without action willincrease your stress and adversely affect your positivity.

iii.) Always make provision for a small break during long study sessions torejuvenate your energy and strength.

iv.) Slight nervousness is perfectly fine and inevitable during exam time. Butexcessive stress can be very harmful and block your thinking process. So just

be careful.

10. Have faith in your abilities and blessings of your parents

Last but certainly not the least to avoid exam stress or any kind of stress in life it is

very important to have faith in your abilities and efforts. Remember nobody is

perfect so always ready to improve yourself. Always try your best with utmost

sincerity and dedication. I am sure success will follow you. Also give due regards to

the expectations of your parents and also remember with their blessings you can

deal with any sort of pressure situation.


6/12

Getting a good nights sleep before an exam isexcellent preparation for the day ahead, so wehave compiled some tried and trusted Dos and

Donts. The relaxation exercise works for adultstoo!

GOOD THINGS TO DO

y Have a warm milky drink or herbal tea beforebed.

y Have a warm, fragrant bath before bed (not a

hot one, see below)

y Browse through a magazine or read a chapterof a (non school) book before putting out thelight.

y Listen to some relaxing musicy Practise a simple relaxation exercise (see

below)

THINGS TO AVOID

y AVOID the temptation to stay up late studyingso that you are over-tired, as your memorycannot retain things when your brain isexhausted.

y AVOID stimulants such as tea, coffee or coladrinks for at least four hours before going tobed.

y AVOID having a hot bath before you go to bed,as it is very stimulating.


7/12

y AVOID watching anything too exciting on TVbefore you go to bed, as it is difficult to thenunwind.

HOW TO RELAX

a) When you are anxious or stressed you tendto worry a lot and things go round and roundin your head, which is a waste of energy.Worrying about a problem solves nothing!

b) The opposite of being stressed and anxious is

to be relaxed and calm.

c) Practising a simple relaxation exercisebefore you go to sleep can help you to winddown and to get things into perspective.

Stress is an ignorant state. It believes that everything is an emergency. ~Natalie Goldberg, Wild

Mind

Releasing the pressure, it's good for the teapot and the water. Try it sometime. ~Jeb Dickerson,

Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are.

There's always a light at the end of the tunnel. Exams have a beginning and an end, and the stress that

goes along with them should end with the exam. Once the paper's in, there's nothing more you can do

to (legally) influence the outcome

Some students have discovered various mechanisms to deal with the pressure, like running

away from home or simply refusing to appear for exams.

If you are a student, there is no need to explain what exam stress is. Sleepless nights, troubled

thoughts, loss of appetite, rapid pulse, trembling hands - these are typical manifestations ofexam fear. Recent research has shown that it affects all the systems of the human body:

nervous, immune, cardiovascular, etc. Unfortunately, the negative influence of this

phenomenon on the students body and their psychology is underestimated nowadays. Social

polls demonstrate that students perceive the exams as a duel of questions and answers, as a

severe torture as intellectual and emotional overload.


8/12

Do we need exams in the first place ? - Yes, exams are important for you as their results

influence future professional career, your social status and your selfesteem. Every person has

own optimal level of worry and anxiety, which helps him/ her to achieve the best results. You

must learn how to control your stress and extra anxiety for preparing for the Test. If exams

cause great worry, if you have some symptoms of exam stress (insomnia, rapid pulse, handstrembling and so on) you ought to do something about it.

Here are a few tips that may help you reduce the exam stress:

Believe in yourself.

You are capable of passing the exam. You wouldn't have been given a place in the class or on

the course if you didn't have the ability to do it.

Dont just worry take action!

If you don't understand some of your course material, getting stressed out won't help. Instead,take action by seeing your course tutor or asking your class mates to help you understand the

problem.

Dont put yourself under too much pressure

Aim to do your best but recognize that if you think that "anything less than A+ means I've

failed" then you are creating unnecessary stress for yourself.

Take a break.

As soon as you notice you are losing concentration, take a short break go for a walk, talk to a

friend or just listen to some music. Then you will feel refreshed and able to concentrate on your

revision again.

On the Exam Day:

Try to avoid panic.

It's natural to feel some exam nerves prior to starting the exam and that can be a positive andmotivating feeling. However, getting excessively nervous is counterproductive as it hinders your

ability to think clearly.

Breathe deep.

The quickest and most effective way of eliminating feelings of stress and panic is to close your

eyes and take several long, slow deep breaths. Breathing in this way calms your whole nervous

system.

Too much stress around exam time can cause any of the

following


9/12

a) an inability to focus on the exam question

b) Forgetting material you've learned, through to

headaches, cramps, nausea and shaking.

c) None of which will help you manage a good mark in theexam! So how can you manage your stress levels to

make sure they don't get in your way?

1 - SCHEDULE YOUR STUDY IN ADVANCE

a) Most students know that cramming the night before

never works and they never setting up a study schedule

in advance (and then following it) - but somehow, we

end up doing it anyway!

b)Start thinking about what you're going to need to study

at least a few weeks (if not longer) before the exam, and

set up a timetable for yourself. This is for revision part.

Before that , you have to cover at least one round of

studies.

c) Use checklists, and cross off each topic once you've

covered it. Try different study techniques, and test

yourself frequently to identify which ones work best for

you.

2 - DON'T SKIMP ON YOUR SLEEP

a) With so much study to do (or perhaps to avoid doing?),

sleep is a common casualty of exam time.

b) It's also one of your best allies for a clear mind, so if you

care about your exam results, make sure you don't let it

slide.


10/12

c) Aim to get 7 hours a night minimum in the weeks

leading up to exams (more if you're feeling tired -

different bodies have different requirements), and

ensure you get an early night before each exam - even if

your exam isn't until the afternoon

3 - WATCH YOUR DIET

a) Perhaps more than at any other time of year,

nutrition levels are critical during exam time.

b)Our brains simply can't function optimally if we'renot supplying them with enough of the nutrients they

need.

c) If you're on any kind of calorie-controlled diet,

consider relaxing it a little around exam time, and

make sure you're eating plenty of fresh fruit,

vegetables and whole grains.

d) Consider a multi-vitamin supplement if you're not

already taking one.

4 - KEEP MOVING

a) As the exams draw closer, it can be easy to lock

yourself in the library (or your room) and not

come out for hours at a time.b)The trouble with this is that when we stop moving,

our brains get sluggish.

c) If you want to make sure you're taking in what you

study, it's important to get some form of exercise -


11/12

even just a walk around the block - at least once a

day.

d)And if you're starting to feel stress symptoms

building as you study, try taking time out forsomething even more energetic.

5 - EXPERIMENT WITH RELAXATION

There are a number of different relaxation methods

available - how many have you tried?

1)Meditation,

2)listening to soothing music,3) hypnosis audios,

4) burning relaxing essential oils,

5)yoga,

6)hot (or cool) baths,

7) Journaling and walking through somewhere green

are all possibilities.

6 - DON'T FORGET TO BREATHE!

a) Both before and during exams, oxygen is your friend!

b)Focused deep breathing is a relaxation technique you

can use regularly during the time leading up to the

exam, and it's also a great tool to have during the exam

itself.

c) When you're under pressure, it's natural for your

breathing to start speeding up and getting shallower.

d)Don't let it! Consciously take slower, deeper breaths

and watch yourself start to relax, and your thoughts

begin to clear as you do.The most painful thing to experience is not defeat but regret ~ Leo Bascaglia


12/12

How to Reduce Exam Stress

Documents