‘Breathe, pause, and take a sip’: How I handle exam stress

I get majorly stressed before exams, a little panicky during them, and then feel completely fine afterwards. Some people work well under stress, and others can’t cope at all. And then there are the people in-between who don’t love it or hate it, but manage to get through okay.

One of the most important bits of advice I got was to accept that I will feel this way and to learn what I can do to control the panic as best as I can, even if I can’t get rid of it completely. Here’s how I’ve learned to cope with exam stress over the years. I hope you find something that helps you.

Before exams

1. Stick to a routine

A healthy daily routine of exercise, hydration, good food and sleep, as well as making a revision timetable, stops me from switching off into ‘official holiday mode’. Knowing in advance what I’m doing every day makes me more efficient and, in turn, less stressed. It can be a difficult thing to actually do, and I certainly find it hard, but following a routine for definitely lowers my stress levels.

2. Take regular breaks from revision

In order to revise to the best of my ability, I need to take breaks and truly relax after a hard-working term (after all, I’m only human). So I don’t overload my revision timetable with unrealistic goals because I’ll only feel stressed and disappointed if I haven’t completed everything by the end of the day. In my regular breaks, I do what makes me feel relaxed - sometimes it’s reading a book, watching TV, or just simply listening to the Mamma Mia soundtrack.

3. Use your time efficiently

You can get more done in two hours of focused work than you can in six half-hearted hours scrolling through Instagram. I am a big fan of Forest app, which sets timers for me to work and plants trees while I stay focused. If I leave the app to do another pointless Twitter scroll, a tree dies. I also find that tracking my study time makes me aware of when to take breaks and when to push myself a little harder.

4. Make to-do lists

One of the main things I do during exams and when working towards a deadline is make to-do lists. It’s quicker than a revision table (which, let’s be honest, you’ll never actually use) and ticking things off my list makes me so much more motivated to get things done. I use Google Keep to stay on top of my to-do lists but there’s nothing wrong with putting pen to paper.

During exams

1. Arrive at university early

This will give you time to relax and prepare yourself mentally, ensure you have time to go to the toilet and maybe find a quiet spot close to the exam room. Sometimes I'll plug in my headphones to block out the noise around me, or go over topics with peers checking that I know all of the material. But deep down I know my lecturers are right: if I don't know the material 10 minutes before the exam, I probably won't know it during the exam.

All you can do in the short time period before the exam is to relax and focus on what you do know, instead of what you don't know (after all, it is impossible to know everything on a subject syllabus).

2. A water bottle is a must

When I get more stressed and panicked than usual, my throat gets drier. Taking a sip of water can be a great way to pause and rethink during the exam, especially for a difficult question. Be wary of drinking too much water in the exam room, as you don't want to have to fill it up mid-way through the exam or waste time by going to the toilet.

3. Only look at the clock and the paper

It can be very tempting to have a peek at everyone else to see how far they are in their papers and to know if I’m behind or not. But I remind myself that it doesn’t matter if the person next to me has written two pages in 10 minutes while I’ve only written half a page.

Every student has different writing speeds and, therefore, will write different amounts. The main thing I try to do is to be specific in answering the question that is being asked, rather than writing heaps of general background information.

And if I do start to worry? Then I tell myself these words:

‘Okay, it is okay, I don’t understand this question but I am going to breathe and pause as I have time. This is okay, I am going to read this question slowly and not rush it. I still do not understand what is being asked but I am not going to panic; I am simply going to drink some water and breathe.’

After exams

1. Enjoy and relax

I try my best to not think about what I could have put for that one question on the third page of the paper that could have gained me extra points. I may not be able to completely rid my mind of the ‘what if’ questions, but I can at least distract myself by doing fun and relaxing activities on my well-deserved break.

On exam results day, you may not receive the results that you have been dreaming of since starting your GCSEs and A-Levels, and this can be quite disheartening when you feel as if you have worked your hardest. You are allowed to feel sad and let your feelings out. The main thing to remember is that you worked your hardest - and that’s what really matters.