5 Tips for Kicking Exam Stress' Butt | Advice

Most institutions place a huge emphasis on exams. This puts students under an immense amount of pressure which more than likely amounts to a great deal of stress. Stress is one of the most counterproductive things when it comes to exams: it prevents one from thinking clearly and retaining information. It results in constant fatigue and people often develop unhealthy habits as a result of stress. As someone who gets really stressed when it comes to exams, here are my tips to deal with and even combat exam stress:



1) Get enough sleep. Establish a set bedtime and make sure you stick to it and make sure you get a full 8 hours (if not more). Both your brain and your body need sleep in order to process and retain information, to cope with stress and to help you concentrate.

2) Exercise. Although working out or playing a sport does cut into your study time, setting aside an hour a day to get moving will actually benefit you more than studying for that hour. The reason being is that it floods your body with oxygen and gets your blood pumping. When exercising you can get all your frustration out and it helps hugely with keeping stress levels at bay.

3) Avoid stressful people. As mentioned in my previous post about exams, staying away from people who stress a lot is just as important as avoiding negative people. People who naturally stress a lot will have an influence on the way you function. Their stress levels will rub off on you.

4) Stay healthy. One tends to pick on a lot of sugary and unhealthy food during exams - mostly because of stress and the need for energy. Treat your body respectfully and it will return the favour. Try to eat at least one proper meal a day that includes a high dose of protein and a load of different veggies. Eating balanced meals will help your body cope with stress and keep you feeling healthy.

5) It's mind over matter: think your way out of stress. If you stress at a particular time during exams (e.g. the night before an exam , the day of or even right at the beginning of your studying) then make sure you prepare yourself to mentally combat your own stress. This might sound really wishy-washy, but you do have the power to control your own thoughts. When stressful thoughts cross your mind, distract yourself, think about calming things and convince yourself - even if it may not be the truth - that you are well-prepared and that you have more than enough time to get everything into your head.

GOOD LUCK!!!

A College/University Student's Guide To Surviving Exams | How To

I have officially survived 3 years of University level exams and I'm about to go in for the 4th year. I have learned a lot along the way. This advice is not the usual: exercise, eat healthily etc. etc. That doesn't necessarily work for everyone. But here are some things that I have found to really help:


1) Drink PLENTY of water. 
They say 8 glasses per day. They also say 1 glass per 10kgs that you weigh. My opinion is drink as much as you can handle. If your bladder is anything like mine, you will need the bathroom pretty often. But keep in mind that it is flushing out all those nasty toxins that get in the way of your brain absorbing information. Also, for those of you who write exams in the middle of Summer, it's important to keep hydrated.

2) Stay away from people who will bring you down.
When you're studying (or cramming...let's be realistic), you want to stay as self-motivated as possible. You also want to feel confident in your own knowledge and abilities. Being around people who complain and are mostly negative about exams will not help you. Rather surround yourself with people who are willing to work just as hard as you are. That way you will have positive influences around you to guide you when you are feeling discouraged. When people are going through things together, they tend to adopt a common attitude.

3) Take a break after every exam.
Even if your exam timetable sucks and you have all your subjects in a row, it really helps to take a break after every paper. After sitting an exam (whether it be an hour long or 5 hours long), your brain, body and even your soul needs time to recouperate before you hit the books again. Most of the time I would recommend having a decent nap. But if you are too scared that you won't wake up fresh enough to carry on studying, do something that requires little energy. If you have 2 exams in the same day, go for a quick walk or have some lunch etc.

4) Always set more than one alarm!
Experience has taught me that even if you are the most responsible person in the world when it comes to exams, there is always the chance that something goes wrong. If you usually use your alarm on your phone, make sure that it is fully charged before you hit the sack. BUT, do yourself a favour and invest in a good old-fashioned alarm clock (they are not very expensive these days) that you can keep at your bedside. At least you will be gaurenteed to wake up. You don't ever want to be in a position where you have to explain to your Head of Department that you slept through your exam.

5) If you are addicted to something that helps you procrastinate, get someone to keep it from you during exams.
If you're anything like me, you can sit for hours watching endless YouTube videos and playing Tetris on Facebook. If you find yourself spending too much time doing these things when you should actually be settling down to study, get a friend to keep your laptop for you during the time that you have set aside to study. I'm not saying starve yourself of your luxuries. But get to know your own habits and identify where you waste the most of your time.