Exam season can be a stressful time for everyone, especially when working towards a degree in university. Explore these top tips that will help you handle your emotions and focus on your exams.
Everybody gets stressed during exams and everybody feels it (and deals with it) in different ways. It’s natural to feel and small amounts of it can keep you moving forward. However, when stress builds up and gets stronger it can feel harder to cope with, and can even affect your exam performance when it is too much to handle.
Signs you might be stressed
Stress affects everybody in different ways. Here are some of the main signs of stress that you may feel (or see in others around you) during exam season:
- Getting irritable, or feeling angry, upset, or anxious.
- Having negative thoughts about yourself or feeling that you have failed or disappointed people.
- Feeling ill e.g. headaches, stomach pain, exhaustion
- Noticing changes such as different eating habits, feeling restless or being forgetful more often.
- Avoiding things that cause these negative feelings and lacking motivation.
- Being less interested in the things you usually like.
- Struggling to manage day to day and thinking you can’t cope.
Ways to manage stress during exams at university
1. Plan Your Priorities
If your workload is piling up, complete any small, ‘quick win’ tasks that you can get out of the way and cut big tasks into smaller chunks to make your to-do list more manageable. Once you know what you need to do, make a list of your most important tasks and create a schedule that you can stick to. If it helps, make a timetable or get your friends involved so that you study at the same time.
2. Find study techniques that suit you
People find it easier to concentrate on their assignments or revise in different ways. If you’re not working in the way that’s best for your learning style, you might find it more difficult to remember information. Think about whether you work best alone or in groups, with songs or pictures or by teaching others, and where you work best. If you live or study on campus, make the most of the facilities. Try studying in the library, a café or even an empty classroom to create the atmosphere you need.
Take a look at the Pomodoro and Power Hour techniques to organise your study time.
3. Prepare in small ways
Prepare for your exams in small ways to calm your exam nerves. Get ready the night before so you’re ready on the day – it’ll be one less thing to worry about. Complete any last minute revision you need, make sure you have spare pens, and have your water bottle to hand (hydration will help you think clearly!).
During your exam, use breathing exercises to keep calm and take your time to read through the questions and plan your answers. When you come out of your exam, don’t dwell on how you think it went. It’s done, and you can’t change your answers. Keep looking forward and prepare for what comes next one small step at a time.
4. Find the source of your stress
Explore what’s happening in your life to find the cause of your stress. If it’s something you can control, you can actively work on a solution. For example, if you are struggling with learning the course content, ask a friend or lecturer to go through the topics with you. If you’re finding the workload or assignments difficult to cope with, talk to a lecturer about getting an extension on your deadline. If it’s something you can’t control, try not to worry too much as there isn’t anything you can do to change it. Make sure you know how to look after your emotions and work through it.
5. Talk to someone
Everyone else who is taking an exam is likely to be feeling stressed too. It’s an important time during university and you can feel a lot of pressure. Talk to someone you trust like a friend, family member or lecturer instead of bottling your feelings up. They’ll be able to help you talk about what you feel, why you feel that way, and what you could do to feel better.
6. Look after yourself
A healthy lifestyle will help you feel better physically which can make a big difference! Eat well, get some exercise (a walk in the fresh air is a great way to clear your thoughts) and make sure you get enough sleep. Make time for what you enjoy and socialise with your friends – this means taking the time to fully step away from your studies. Practice self care and use calming techniques to soothe your stress (there are lots of free mental health apps to help you).
7. Find a healthy balance with caffeine and energy boosters
When you’re feeling stressed, it can be tempting to fall into bad habits that make us feel better. For example, caffeine and energy drinks might help you stay more alert when studying, but they wear off eventually and can make you feel worse when they stop working. Getting enough sleep and taking breaks will make it easier to concentrate on your studies.
8. Turn procrastination into small achievable goals
Having negative emotions about the work you need to do can make you want to procrastinate and avoid it, but this means you have less and less time to work on them. Instead, make small SMART goals you can reach, and make sure they’re realistic.
9. Balance revision with free time to help you recharge
Don’t forget to take a break from studying and live your life. You are a human, not a studying machine. Constant study 24/7 isn’t the answer. You need breaks to help clear your mind and let it rest so that you feel fresh enough to carry on with revision. This means stepping away from your work and doing something that makes you happy, whether it’s playing video games, talking to friends or baking.
TopUniversities has advice on how NOT to cope with exam stress that will help you recognise any bad habits that are holding you back.
10. You are unique. Don’t compare yourself to others during exams
Try not to compare yourself to others or worry about the future. Everybody has different goals and ways of coping during exam season. Find out what works for you when it comes to revision and your mental health, and stay focused on looking after yourself.
11. Remember you’ll have lots of options on Results Day
Lots of people say exams aren’t everything, and they’re right. There are lots of routes into whichever career interests you! Employers won’t just look at your qualifications. They look at your skills, passions, experience, and most importantly your potential.
Look at how far you’ve come already and remember that if you don’t get the grade you wanted, it doesn’t mean you’ve failed. You have a lot more to offer than your grade, and you’ll likely have the chance to try again with a healthy attitude.
12. Be kind to yourself
A great piece of advice from Young Minds is to make a list of what you want from life that isn’t related to your exams. Think about what kind of person you want to be, what else you want to achieve, and what will truly make you happy.
13. It’s okay to ask for help
If you’re struggling with keeping on top of your studies and revision, or you need some help, your university should have the necessary support in place to help you. By talking to someone, you can get help with revision, learning content, preparing for exams or balancing study with your personal life and even work. They want you to be able to do your best and they’ll do their best to help you.
If you get to the point where you consider whether continuing university is right for you, this is completely OK if this is the direction you choose. However, it’s a big decision, so give yourself space and time to make sure you understand why it’s the right option and what it will mean for your future. Remind yourself of why you wanted to study in the first place, and talk to university advisors and people you trust about your choice.
It’s also important to recognise when you need professional help for stress. If it’s affecting your life and study, the things you try to help aren’t making you feel better and you’re struggling to cope, then you should contact support services or a medical professional like your GP.
