How do I deal with the pressure of exams?

Learn how to manage exam stress effectively with proven strategies like organising study time, using efficient techniques, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and seeking support.

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  • Suitable for members aged 12-17
  • 4 minute read
  • 770 words (1.9 sides of A4)
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  • Created and reviewed by our team of experts

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Understanding Exam Pressure

Exams are a significant part of school life and can often bring a fair amount of stress and anxiety. This pressure largely stems from the need to perform well, which might be motivated by personal ambitions, parental expectations, or the requirements of future educational opportunities. Schools frequently use exams to measure your understanding of material and your ability to apply knowledge under timed conditions. While exams are intended to test your learning, the high stakes associated with them can lead to significant stress.

Real-Life Impacts of Exam Stress

As a young person, the stress from exams can manifest in various ways, affecting both your physical and mental health. You might experience symptoms like headaches, trouble sleeping, decreased appetite, or excessive worry. Mentally, you might feel overwhelmed, irritable, or depressed. These symptoms can interfere with your daily activities and your ability to study effectively, creating a cycle of anxiety.

Furthermore, exam pressure can strain your relationships with family and friends, especially if you're spending most of your time studying. This can lead to feelings of isolation or conflict, which might increase your stress levels further.

Practical Strategies for Managing Exam Pressure

1. organise Your Study Time

How do I deal with the pressure of exams?
  • Plan Your Revision: Create a revision timetable that covers all your subjects. Break down topics into manageable chunks, and allocate time slots for each. This helps ensure that you cover all necessary material without cramming last minute.
  • Take Regular Breaks: While studying, remember to take short breaks. Try the Pomodoro Technique: study for 25 minutes and break for 5 minutes. This can help maintain your concentration and prevent burnout.

2. Learn Efficient Study Techniques

  • Active Recall: Test yourself on the material you need to learn instead of passively reading through notes. Use flashcards, or try to write down what you can remember on a topic after studying it to reinforce retention.
  • Spaced Repetition: Review information over increasing intervals. This technique helps improve long-term retention of material, reducing the stress of trying to memorise large amounts of information at once.

3. Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle

  • Exercise Regularly: Physical activity can boost your mood and energy levels, enhancing your cognitive functions and lowering stress hormones.
  • Eat Nutritiously: Maintain a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, proteins, and whole grains. Avoid excessive caffeine and sugar, especially close to bedtime.
  • Get Enough Sleep: Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep each night. Good sleep improves memory and concentration, vitally important during exam periods.

4. Manage Exam-Day Nerves

  • Prepare the Night Before: Ensure you have everything you need for the exam ready the night before (e.g., pens, calculator). This can help reduce morning panic.
  • practise Deep Breathing: Before entering the exam room, do some deep breathing exercises to calm your mind and reduce anxiety.
  • Have a Positive Mindset: Encourage yourself with positive affirmations and keep a realistic perspective on the importance of any single exam.

5. Seek Support When Needed

  • Talk to Someone: Share your feelings with friends, family, or a counsellor if you're feeling overwhelmed. Speaking about your worries can relieve stress and bring useful perspectives or solutions.
  • Use School Resources: Many schools provide sessions on study skills or stress management. Take advantage of these resources.

Conclusion

Dealing with exam pressure is about preparation, effective study habits, and taking care of your mental and physical health. Remember, exams are just one part of your education and not a measure of your worth. By adopting strategic study techniques, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and seeking support, you can manage stress and perform your best during exam periods.

How are you feeling?

It is really important that when we need help, we feel able to ask for it. This could be speaking to a parent, a close friend, a teacher or someone else you trust. Sometimes it can be really hard to share our feelings with other people but if we are feeling low or don't know where to turn, sharing with others is really important. Teachers will always take you seriously and listen to your problems in confidence if you approach them for help. Likewise, parents, siblings or friends will help you if you reach out to them.

If you feel like you can't speak to anyone you know, there are people and organisations that can help support you:

  • Childline - Call them on 0800 1111 any time of the day or night, every day of the week
  • NSPCC - Call them on 0808 800 5000 between 10am and 4pm Monday to Friday or email them on help@NSPCC.org.uk
  • The Samaritans – Call them on 116 123 any time of the day or night, every day of the week
  • SANE – Call 0300 304 7000 for support (4:30pm - 10:30pm every day)
  • Mind – Call 0300 123 3393 (9:00am - 6:00pm Monday to Friday)

*Sometimes we will use real life examples in our articles to aid understanding. When we do, names and ages will be changed.