Coping With Exam Stress
Taking an exam is nearly always a stressful experience. Stress responses vary from person to person but some of the typical symptoms include headaches, nausea, muscle pains and changes in eating and sleeping patterns. Clearly all of these will have a negative impact upon exam performance. Coping with exam stress is therefore vital if you are to do yourself justice.
One of the best ways to cope with exam stress is to prepare thoroughly in the weeks leading up the exam. This means that you should think about how much time you have before your exam and carefully plan how you can spend that time to best effect. It is important to also think about how you will revise and to understand that simply reading through a textbook or your lecture notes will not suffice.
In the days before the exam you need to formulate a strategy so that you can tackle it without becoming stressed. You may, for example, work out how much time you intend to spend on each section of the exam and in what order you intend to work through these sections.
You could also consider how you will approach multiple-choice questions as opposed to essay questions. Preparing in this manner will greatly reduce the inevitable stress that arises when you first look at your exam paper.
If at all possible you should try to visit the exam hall before the day of the exam so that you know what to expect. Students have been known to experience anxiety attacks simply due to the unfamiliarity of the exam environment. If you have already seen where the exam will take place this is far less likely to happen.
Another good idea is to make a list of the things that you will need to take with you to the exam so that you don’t get stressed out when you discover you have forgotten something.
Plan how you are going to spend your time in the hours before the exam, for example deciding what time you will leave and how you will get there. On the day of the exam, stick to your plan and try to talk positively to yourself all the way through. Remember that coping with exam stress is just as important as taking the actual test.
If, despite all your preparations, you start to become stressed out then you need to take a few moments to get yourself back into the right frame of mind. Stop what you’re doing and close your eyes. Take a few deep breaths to reduce your stress levels and try to think positively even if you don’t know the answer to the questions.
You may find that once you feel calmer, what seemed impossible a few minutes before now appears achievable. Always remember that it is you who are in control of your stress levels and that you do not need to give in to them.
After the exam is over, try not to compare your answers with those of your fellow students. Although it is important to reflect on your stress coping strategies and any adjustments you may need to make to them before your next exam, you need to realize that the exam is over and it is time to move on and focus on the next one.
Going through your answers with your classmates may simply throw up little mistakes you have made or highlight points that you omitted. This achieves nothing other than knocking your confidence before your next exam. Instead, go back through your stress plan, adjust it where necessary and then implement it for your next exam.
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