- Make a clear revision plan in advance and stick to it. If you are well prepared you will feel much calmer when exam time comes around. Equally, don’t feel bad if you don’t stick to your plan religiously. If you miss a session, just pick up from where you left off and don’t beat yourself up about it. That will only add to your stress. Do as much as you can and remind yourself how much you’ve done. Making a note of all your hard work will make you feel better;
- take lots of breaks when you are revising and get plenty of sleep. Exercise can also help, as can eating nourishing food. This will help your energy levels and concentration. Brain food, such as fish and vegetables can make a big difference to your concentration levels. Limit the amount of caffeine you have too, as this can affect your sleep;
- when you get into the exam try not to panic. Take a few minutes to compose yourself, read the questions a few times and then allocate time to each. Making short notes on questions at the beginning may help jog your memory and reassure you. If you do not think that you can do a question put it out of your mind and tackle it last;
- after leaving an exam do not think any more about it. Analyzing answers with your friends and worrying about how you did will increase stress and may affect your performance in other exams;
- keep things in perspective. Doing badly in an exam can be upsetting but it is important not to put too much pressure on yourself. Stressing and worrying uses up energy meaning that you will not be able to work as effectively;
- if exam stress is getting too much for you and you do not feel like you can cope talk to somebody about it. The University of Leeds Student Counselling Centre, for example, offers a drop-in service, self-help clinic and appointments for individual counselling. All universities should have services to help students. You could also speak to your GP, if you don’t feel comfortable seeking help from your institution.
If things in your personal life are affecting your exam performance make your department aware of this as they may be able to take them into account when marking your exams. Each school has its own procedure for submitting mitigating circumstances. Ask your school secretary or contact the Student Advice Centre for more information.
Don’t worry in silence. Most students suffer stress when it comes to coursework and exams and sometimes it can help just to talk to someone about it. There are lost of services to help students, so make sure you make the most of them.
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