8 ways to manage exam stress

Some stress before an exam is normal, even useful: it sharpens focus. But when stress becomes too much, what you studied won’t stay, sleep won’t come, and even answers you know disappear in the exam hall.

Signs of too much stress

• You can’t settle down to study and have to read the same line again and again
• Sleeping much less or much more, irregular eating
• Headaches, stomach aches, a pounding heart
• Getting angry or tearful over small things
• Thoughts like “I can’t do anything” or “It’s all over”

8 tips for students

1. Make a realistic routine. Break the syllabus into small parts. Write down what you will finish each day.
2. Study in short sessions. Study for 25 to 50 minutes, then take a 5 to 10 minute break. This works better than studying for hours on end.
3. Test yourself. Closing the book and trying to recall helps you remember longer than re-reading. Research calls this recall practice.
4. Don’t skip sleep. The brain consolidates the day’s learning during sleep. Staying up the night before an exam backfires.
5. Eat and drink properly. Studying on an empty stomach or on tea and coffee alone lowers concentration.
6. Stop comparing yourself with others. Hearing how much others have studied raises your stress, not your preparation.
7. Exam-hall strategy. Read the whole paper once, start with the easy questions. If you get stuck, breathe in for 4, out for 6, then start again.
8. Talk to someone. A friend, sibling, teacher or parent: tell someone you trust how you feel. Talking lightens stress a great deal.

For parents

• Don’t compare your child with other children.
• Praise effort, not just results.
• Listen before advising. “How are you feeling?” is a powerful question.
• Notice big changes in sleep, eating or behaviour.

When help is needed

If stress lasts for weeks, sleep and eating change, or studying stops altogether, talk to a counsellor or psychologist.