Don’t Let Exam Stress Break Your Stride!

Do you feel like your mind freezes during exams? Do you find yourself thinking “I really can’t do this”? Does your heart race fast or do you find it hard to breathe during exams and feel like throwing up?

Most students feel anxious when taking an exam, but research shows that some students are more likely to suffer from exam anxiety than others. So why is this? And what can you do to calm those hyperactive nerves?

There are two types of anxiety:

• Low anxiety: students who experience low anxiety may feel a little nervous about an upcoming exam but are still able to focus their attention on their studies or the questions asked during the assessment. Usually low anxiety students are not struck with intrusive thoughts or feel debilitated by the exam.
• High anxiety: students who experience high anxiety show an immediate anxiety reaction when exposed to the feared test situation. They attempt to avoid the situation by not showing up to the exam, or may endure it but with extreme fear. High anxiety can tip some into a sense of panic: “I just really can’t do this!” and then you run for the hills.

If you identify high anxiety in yourself, you can learn ways to manage it so that it doesn’t take over your exam performance and make you want to burn you report. The skills you find most helpful in managing your exam anxiety will vary depending on what triggers may be contributing to your high levels of anxiety. If students experience high levels of anxiety before an exam, they should engage in self-care strategies during this time by keeping an eye on sleeping through the night, nutrition, exercise, and implementing a few relaxation routines. Students sometimes forget these small steps as they can feel consumed by the fear of the exam.

When getting ready for exams try to:

• Prepare ahead of time by working on sections of the content each day
• Use practice exam papers as an opportunity to manage anxiety
• Identify your anxiety early by noticing your physical responses
• Try replacing unhelpful thoughts with more encouraging self-talk by challenging your worried and negative thought patterns
• Practice focusing your attention on the task at hand (mindfulness), rather than getting tangled in your anxiety and thinking of the “what if?”
• Learn a few skills for reducing your physical reactions of anxiety

Exams aren’t the end of the world, they simply prepare you for the new year and all better things to come. Avoid Candy Crush and pay attention to your sleep, eat well, exercise, make sure you have a few relaxing routines and reach out for social support. You can do this!