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Fri, 30/10/2009 - 12:58

How to cope with exam stress

Life would be a lot less stressful for international students if there were no exams. Unfortunately study in Australia is not only about active learning but also about showing that you really learned something. But maybe it is most important for students to learn `how to do exams`? Getting experience and learning how to control your stress and emotions will improve your results. Read the next `Do’s` and `Dont’s` about doing exams and coping with stress. Good Luck!

Do the best you can

Knowing that you’ve done your best may help you overcome feelings of letting anyone down. Don’t go through the answers afterwards with your friends if it is only going to make you more worried. Try to put the last exam out of your mind and look ahead to the next one. You can’t go back and change things. You’re you, so you can only do the best you can on the day.

Do:

Have your own study timetable – start planning well before exams begin. Your teacher should be able to help.
Make your books, notes and essays user-friendly. Use headings, highlighting and study cards, and get tips on other study techniques from teachers and friends with experience of exams. You could also consider buying study guides.
Take notes of the important points when revising. Try to answer the questions of past exam papers and explain answers to tricky questions to someone else.
Everyone revises differently. Find out what routine suits you best - alone or with a friend or parent/carer; early morning or late at night; short, sharp bursts or longer sessions; with music or without noise.
• Ask for help from your teacher/learning mentor, parent/carer or a friend if there are things you don’t understand.

Don’t

Don’t leave study to the last minute.
Don’t study all the time. Make sure you give yourself time each day to relax, taking breaks to do something you enjoy – watch TV, listen to music, read a book or go out for a walk.
Don’t avoid studying subjects you don’t like or find difficult.
Don’t forget that there is life beyond study and exams.
Don’t cram ALL night before an exam.

Prepare for the big day: Checklist

Have a good breakfast if you can.
Make sure you know where the exam is being held and what time it starts. Give yourself plenty of time to get there.
Take all the equipment you need for each exam, including extra pens and pencils.
Take in a bottle of water and tissues.
Go to the loo beforehand!
If you feel really anxious, breathe slowly and deeply while waiting for the exam to start.
Control your time
Plan how much time you’ll need for each question.
Read the instructions before starting the exam.
Ask the teacher or exam supervisor if anything is unclear.
Read through all the questions before starting writing, and make sure you are clear how many questions you are required to answer.
If there is a choice, start by answering the question you feel you can answer best.
If you are stuck on a question, go on to the next. You can always come back to it later. If you are really stuck, try to have an intelligent guess anyway.
Leave time to read through and check your answers before the exam finishes.

Exams over?

Pat yourself on the back – it’s time to relax and forget about them.

If you did well – congratulations! But remember, there’s life beyond exam results. Disappointing grades are not the end of the world, even if it does feel that way at the time. You might decide to resit, and in any case, there will be lots of other opportunities to express yourself and succeed later on in life.

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