“Exam season is perhaps the most exciting and enjoyable period of one’s life”... said no student ever.
Written by Khadija Farooq
If you dread exams, you’re certainly not alone. The sleepless nights filled with endless cramming and crippling guilt from procrastinating; the overwhelming anxiety from the moment your test paper is placed in front of you; the uncertainty afterwards of whether or not you answered a certain question correctly. The entire process can be a nightmare. However, exams are a reality for students and fearing them won’t change anything. Focus on what you can control, rather than what you can’t.
Unfortunately, your exams are inevitable; they’re going to take place no matter what happens, so it’s better to just take a deep breath and accept it. It’s important to remember that how you make use of your days preceding the exams will determine your experience. In other words, preparation is key. Follow these tips below to make the best of your exam season and deal with negative emotions from test-taking.
Tip 1: Start Early
Students are often reluctant to start early. After all, it’s much easier to push back unfavourable tasks and spend your time doing something more enjoyable, but at a certain point, you will succumb to this irreversible fate. Beginning to study for an exam the day before is not the situation you want to be in. Starting earlier allows you to take things at a reasonable pace and prevents you from feeling overwhelmed by the magnitude of content to master. It allows you to be more flexible and learn more effectively. You know what they say: slow and steady wins the race. If you are past this point, don’t panic–what’s done is done. Accept it, move on, and start now. Hopefully, you still have enough time to learn the required content if you plan strategically and focus on a broad overview. If not, let this be a lesson for next time.
Tip 2: Plan Ahead
Creating a study plan makes you feel more controlled and organized–two critical aspects of managing stress. Build a strategy for how you can be best prepared for the coming exam by planning out how you will study in the preceding days. Mark out chapters to read, videos to watch, and practice tests to take, ideally on a physical piece of paper or calendar so that you can make adjustments accordingly. Following a daily to-do list based on your exam schedule helps let you know the minimum you need to complete each day to stay on top of everything. Once you reward yourself with a checkmark for completing a certain task, the cycle of momentum will continue, allowing you to keep being productive.
Tip 3: Proper Sleep and Nutrition
We’ve all heard that our body needs energy and adequate rest to learn and perform well; however, many of us neglect this essential fact in the fervour of exam season. Not only is following a healthy lifestyle advantageous for academic performance, but it also helps keep your stress level in control. Next time you feel the urge to pull all-nighters to study for exams, remind yourself that you're a living, breathing human being–sleeping well, eating right, and taking breaks are all essential for you to function properly.
Tip 4: Take Breaks and Breathe
Meditation and breathwork can be helpful in the pursuit of managing stress–try this out in your breaks between study periods. Every so often, try to get outdoors for a bit of fresh air, or at least walk around and stretch. Make sure to drink water and eat snacks as well. Most importantly, keep your phone away and block all distractions on your computer. Although breaks may feel like a waste of time, they will help build higher quality study sessions overall.
Tip 5: Believe in Yourself
Aim to do your best, since at the end of the day, that’s all you can do. Remind yourself that you prepared as best you could and whatever the outcome, you should be proud of your dedication and hard work. Whether it’s a quick pep-talk before you enter the testing room or a gentle reminder once you receive your results, it’s important to celebrate your achievements and move onwards with clarity and confidence.
Tip 6: Keep Things in Perspective
While exams are an important part of a student’s life, let’s not forget that one exam won’t determine the course of your entire future. Despite the importance of academic success, exam results certainly don’t define you as an individual. If things don’t end up going as you expected or hoped, use your experience to learn from your mistakes so you can do better next time: “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” - Confucius
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