Exam time is when students, at whatever stage in their academic life, have their heads in their books, lacking in sleep, preparing for their exams. It’s a stressful time of the year, with a lot of moans and groans, tears and tantrums, and cries of giving up. Exam stress is a challenge and I’m here to help you relieve the stress and sail through your exams with the tips below!
1. Take Regular Naps
Your brain needs regular breaks. The pressure you put on your brain to consume and store information is very high. Therefore, you need to relax and let your brain repair itself in between study sessions. You’ll quickly find that this helps you recall information you’ve memorised much more easily.
2. Treat Yourself
For every milestone or target you reach, reward yourself. Revision isn’t a punishment, and if you don’t act like it is, it won’t feel this way. Treating yourself makes revision easier and motivates you more. Furthermore, what’s the key behind revision? MOTIVATION! When you know there’s something to look forward to at the end of it, it’ll push you to work harder.
3. Exercise
I know what you’re thinking, “I don’t have time to exercise”. Think again and make the time to exercise. You need to be able to rejuvenate your body and mind in order to progress. What students fail to realise is that using every second of every hour for revision is not healthy and won’t help exam performance. I do, however, understand where you’re coming from, I really do. But don’t force yourself to cram knowledge when your brain is, quite simply, tired.
4. Be Organised
Plan your revision. It’s important and organisation is a vital skill which will serve you well if you use it properly. You don’t want to risk leaving any revision out. You’ll end up panicking and won’t do well in your exams. If one plan doesn’t work, re-plan until it works!
5. Don’t Procrastinate
It’s crunch time, so don’t waste time. What good is that going to do? You’ll stress yourself out even further. Keep your head down and move forward. You’ll find that, once the day of your exam arrives, your brain has actually absorbed all the information you needed for your exam.
6. Gain Perspective
Each night, place yourself away from your books. Lie down or be somewhere where you’re at ease and consolidate what you’ve learnt. Then go over, in your head, what you need to do the following day or the remaining days of the week. That way you’re calming yourself down and reassuring yourself. Furthermore, you’ll realise how much you’ve already covered, and that will also help to distress yourself. Sometime, when you’re surrounded by your notes and textbooks, it can become a bit overwhelming. It’s best to get away from it all and think about what you’ve done and plan it all again.
7. Meditate
I know this isn’t for everyone. If you don’t want to meditate, listen to relaxing music. Tune into Classic FM or listen to whatever that calms your nerves. It makes you feel lighter and happier. Revision can sometimes cause depression and it shouldn’t. So do yourselves a favour and unleash the happiness within you.
My last note is, it’s not forever.
Good things never come easy. Once the hard work pays off, you’ll realise that it was all worth it.
Good luck! Let us know how you did in your exams, especially if the above tips helped you.
