You may find yourself here because you’ve recognised that you are struggling with exam stress. You may have noticed some changes to the way that you think and feel around exam time.
Exam stress can show up in any academic setting, from informal school tests to GCSEand A-Level exams. Assignments and coursework deadlines can also be a source of stress, including BTEC and EPQ.
It is common to experience exam stress even as an adult, such as when working towards a professional qualification. That said, it’s important that we learn to cope effectively as soon as possible; it’s a skill for life.
Noticing exam stress is one thing, but how do we manage it? How do we make it less impactful on our mental health (and our performance in school or college)? We have lots of tips and ideas to help you cope with exam stress as a child or teenager.
You may be on study leave or continuing at school or college during your exams. You may have additional responsibilities outside of your exams. Whatever life looks like for you, the exam period can feel long and difficult.
It is important to find ways to look after yourself. Making time for things you enjoy outside of school or college can help to boost your mood, release stress, relax, and celebrate your progress. You can try spending time with friends or family, or even doing hobbies on your own.
Some ideas include listening to music, reading, cooking, being creative (e.g. drawing, painting, arts and crafts, writing, playing music or photography), or spending time with a pet.
Taking regular breaks can help to reduce the sense of monotony or overwhelm, which can help with focus during revision. If you struggle with breaks, you could try setting an alarm to remind you. Stepping away from the books or computer screen and getting a change of scenery is beneficial. You could plan something nice for your breaks, like going for a walk, watching a TV show, playing a game or calling a friend. Balance is important.
Set realistic goals about what you can do in a day or week. A revision timetable can be helpful for this. It’s generally useful to underestimate the number of tasks that can be completed in a day/week, and overestimate the time that each task will take. This will mean that you are less likely to feel overwhelmed or as though you aren’t progressing.
Some people find the ‘Pomodoro Technique’ helpful. This involves working for 25 minutes and then taking a break for 5 minutes. After repeating this process 4 times, you can then take a longer break.
If you find yourself struggling with procrastination, take a look at our blog post to understand why this might be.
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Connecting with other people can be very helpful. Especially those who are going through the same thing. You could try a study group or revising with a friend from school. It is important to let somebody know if you struggling during exam period, whether that is with your understanding of a topic, managing your workload, or your mental health. You could confide in your parents (or another family member), a trusted teacher or friend.
The charity ‘Mind’ has some great tips to help you open up to others about your feelings.
If reading, seeing or using screens is difficult, try listening to podcast or using tools that read text aloud. If you prefer to learn visually, video resources including YouTube can be quite helpful. You may also like to revise in more creative ways, by drawing diagrams or writing songs.
If you find it easier to make sense of your thoughts aloud, you could try explaining a topic to your family or friends, or use a dictation device or talk-to-text software.
If you have SEN provisions at school or college, you may benefit from speaking to the team about how you could revise. Ask about any extenuating circumstances or adjustments that have been approved for you. You might find it helpful to discuss how these could help you ahead of time (e.g. how you use rest breaks). Get help from a parent to do this if needed.
BBC Bitesize have more ideas and top tips for revision. Or YoungMinds have a blog post which has exam tips if you’re neurodivergent and disabled.
It can be helpful to revise in a dedicated workspace outside of your bedroom. This helps your mind to separate study from relaxation and enjoyment. If this is not available at home, you could ask to go into your school, library or a café to revise.
Some people find it helpful to revise in exam-like conditions, particularly for timed papers. If you are sitting your exams in a different place, like a hospital, it may help to practice this to make things feel more familiar on the day.
It is important to look after your physical health as well as your mental health. Make sure that you get enough food, water and exercise. Following our practical sleep tips can help you. If you take medication, keep up with your routine. Consistency is important during exam time.
Being kind to yourself and practice self compassion can help during exams. This resource is a helpful place to start.
Credit: Prateek Katyal on Unsplash