Everyone hates tests. However, unless you’re taking a coursework-heavy subject, you’ll probably be having an exam every month. Personally, tests are the main source of stress in my life, and I know that a lot of people would agree with me. Through a lot of experience (and tons of exams 🙁 ), I’ve managed to find some things that help me deal with exam stress.
- Preparing for exams
- Make a study schedule
- Meditation + mindfulness
- Set goals
- Talk about it!
Preparing for exams
First, make sure you’re actually studying for the exam! This will make you feel more prepared and ready to tackle the exam. Remember to use effective study techniques – incorporate active recall into your revision as much as possible! Also, try to do a past paper to get a feel for what the exam will be like. Ideally, take it in exam conditions to try and simulate the feel of the exam.
Make a study schedule
If you’re scared that you have too much content to cover and too little time, try make a study schedule. This will help you map out the content you need to cover, and it’ll show you how much you need to study each day. I think it also helps give you some peace of mind, so you know that you’ll be able to revise everything before the test
Meditation + mindfulness
Personally, I think meditation is really helpful with dealing with exam stress. It’s been clinically proven to “unjumble” your mind, so try to meditate before your tests. I personally like to use Balance to do 5 minute meditation sessions before going to sleep, but there are tons of options out there. Also, if you’re still stressed out, try write down what you’re feeling to help work out how to deal with those issues.
Set goals
Before your exams, try to set reasonable goals for things you want to achieve. Make it something you can directly control, though. Instead of saying, “I want to get an A”, say “I want to study everyday for 1.5 hours” or “I want to understand bonding”. This way, you’ll break the exam down into smaller, more achievable stepping stones.
Talk about it!
My last piece of advice is to talk about it – whether that be to your friends, family, or teachers. It’s much better to externalise your emotions rather than keep them bottled up. Better yet, you might find that someone else is also stressed about exams, so you can support each other.
If you’re suffering from exam stress, don’t worry, it’s extremely common. However, it is important to find support systems and healthy habits to help you deal with it, so that you don’t get overwhelmed. If you need any more advice, feel free to ask me in the comments or on Tumblr!
