Exam stress-busting tips! A little adrenaline may be a good thing when it comes to exam time but getting seriously stressed only works against you. So what can you do to beat it? Things to help avoid stress Revise sensibly – take breaks, don't cram Set realistic goals – reward yourself when you meet them Eat healthily wholemeal bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, fruit, nuts and vegetables can combat stress by helping to keep blood sugar levels steady Get regular exercise, even if it's just walking instead of taking the bus Make time for relaxing and socialising Get enough sleep if you need to be up early for your exams, gradually change your sleeping patterns over the weeks before so that you've adjusted by exams time Ways to deal with stress Choose a relaxation technique and start practising now The Stop! technique is a great one that you can do in an exam without anyone noticing See page 8 of the Counselling Service's booklet on stress: http://www.docs.sasg.ed.ac.uk/StudentCounselling/SCSbooklets/SCSstressbooklet.pdf Challenge negative thoughts and focus on positives, like what you do know and your previous successes If you start to feel stressed, tell someone else - friends, family, or a member of staff In the exam Read the instructions and questions carefully - then do what they say Plan your time and stick to it over-running on one question means you'll probably lose marks over-all Plan essays / longer answers briefly before you start If a question is in parts, read them all before you start to answer Don't panic! If you don't know/can't remember something, just move on If your mind goes completely blank think yourself back to a lecture, tutorial or lab where you studied the topic brainstorm any words, phrases, facts that you can remember – sometimes these will trigger others If you do begin to panic use a calming technique like the Stop! technique What's on offer to help you prepare? Exam preparation workshops The Counselling Service: http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/student-counselling/services/presentation-workshop IAD Study Development: http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/institute-academic-development/undergraduate/courses/schedule Other resources Advice on exam preparation and technique on LearnBetter: https://www.learn.ed.ac.uk/ Key advice sheets from LearnBetter Essentials on the website: http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/institute-academic-development/undergraduate/essentials/exams This article was published on 2024-11-12
