hello!! ok first of all thank you for reading this. now, iâm the type of person to be constantly stressed about something in my life. thereâs like a minimum level of stress i have to be under at all times (itâs so unhealthy tbh) and usually a month before exams this worsens by ten times. i remember once i threw up before my english exam because there was so much pressure from myself and people around me to come first :â)Â
these are some things i do to reduce the stress iâm under during exams and the prepping period!! they arenât really things i do in specific to reduce stress (like listening to nature sounds), but rather things i do during revision to feel less stressed about exams :) i hope these tips help you in some way!
start preparing at least two weeks before the exams. iâm in high school, and this is the time frame the school gives us to prepare as they handout the exam notifications two weeks before. if youâre in university, or have advanced notice of exam times and what will be tested, then start to prepare then or plan to start preparing and then sTICK TO YOUR PLAN!!! please do this; if you leave it to the last minute your stress levels will be through the roof.
i used to start revising a week before exams because i thought i had âenough timeâ (guess what i didnât askjjfskddsk) and always always became even more stressed.Â
at the start of the school year we also receive an overview of our assessment task dates and exam periods, so write it down in a planner or calendar beforehand!!!
doing this will (hopefully) prevent you from stressing over how little time you have for revision.
stop procrastinating. procrastination will lead to you stressing and even feeling guilty about not spending your time wisely!!! itâs something you can avoid so avoid it!!!!!!
this is a great post on beating procrastination.
actually study. this sounds so obvious but many of us tend to multitask (or try to) when weâre preparing for exams!! for some it may work, but it could lead to you getting 1) nothing done and 2) more stressed because you didnât achieve much.
when you study, just study. turn off the television if youâre the type of person that likes to watch shows when you study because itâs just more likely to distract you from the content in front of you.
find a method that works for you. some people prefer studying while listening to music, while others canât concentrate if there is too much noise. everyoneâs studying habits are different, so find a method that suits you asap so you can become more efficient!! youâll feel less stressed than if you were trying to study with a method that didnât suit you.
take breaks. studying for long periods of time can lead to you burning out (which is a no no) and feeling overwhelmed by the amount of content. it might have an adverse effect as you are likely to retain less. use the pomodoro method, or find a time schedule that fits you.
relax, and reward yourself. donât let your life become all about preparing for exams. itâs possible to have a social life and enjoy yourself when revising! itâs all about time management. hereâs a nICE AF masterpost on time management!!!
also, give yourself rewards for accomplishing revision objectives. finished writing your history notes? thatâs great go catch up on the latest season of suits! rewards give you a nice break from all that revision and help to reduce your stress levels!!!
get good sleep. make sure youâre getting sufficient amounts of sleep as you begin to revise more so that youâre not completely sleep deprived on the first day of your exams. enough sleep also helps to improve your memory so itâll assist with your studies also!
make summaries of your notes. condense your notes (if possible) into smaller chunks e.g. flashcards, mind maps so that they are easier to digest. you should be pretty familiar with the content by this point so only put down the most important information! this may make it feel like you have less content to memorise/learn and not overwhelm you (too much).
quiz yourself. by this point, itâs important to figure out what it is that you know and what you donât know well enough so you can work on those areas before the actual exams!! what i do is, as i write notes, i also write down separately questions about the content and possible extended response questions. this way, you have your notes and then questions on the content that you can do to test your understanding :)
ok, breathe. youâve almost made it!!! all of your hard work is about to be put to use. itâs very easy to stress out right before an exam bUT THIS IS BAD FOR YOU omg. when you stress right before an exam, youâre more likely to forget important facts or details that you need to know. instead, take deep breaths, and collect your thoughts. (try to) be confident in yourself, knowing that you put in the effort weeks before, and even if your results arenât as WOW!!! be happy knowing that you tried your hardest, and there are always chances to improve.
optional: stop looking at your notes!!! not sure if this applies to anyone else, but when i look at my notes when iâm outside the examination hall i begin to freak out because omf exams. itâs really easy to become overwhelmed at this point and begin stressing about getting bad marks, so if looking at your notes makes you panic then donât do it. itâs better to go through the content in your head, and stay calm.
during exams, it can be easy to become caught up in one section and neglect the others. for 1 hour exams at my school, using history as an example, there is a multiple choice section, short answers section, and an extended response (essay). the exam suggests that we spend 10 minutes on multiple choice, 30 on short answers and 20 on the essay, but from my personal experience 20 minutes wasnât enough to write a succinct and sustained essay. so i took less time for the first two sections so i would have more time for the essay, which made up a third of the marks.
figure out what sections youâll need more time for, and try to account for that in the beginning of the exam. if there is an essay which you havenât seen the question for then go to that first.
read the essay question and then think about it briefly before moving onto another section. this way the question stays in the back of your mind, and you can think about your essay structure and content while you do other parts of the test. if there is space given for a plan, then use it.
if youâre stuck on a question for more than 2 minutes move on!! fold a corner of the exam paper (if this is allowed) and come back to it later.
other really useful links!!
stress relief techniques and ideas
anxiety and panic masterpost
i hope this post helped you in some way!! sorry for taking up so much of your dash, have a lovely day!! â âż ââ
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