Exam time is notorious for the amount of pressure that it puts on students. The exams are often worth 25% or more of the course, and if that weren’t enough, many colleges and universities base your acceptance on your exam results, particularly your SAT’s. Once high school is done most students appreciate the fact that they won’t have to endure exams again. Then, come college or university, they find the pressure to be even more intense than it was in high school.
Universities have a funny way to taking the exam and making it worth the entire course value, meaning that you do or die come exam time. Some people respond to this kind of pressure, while others (like me) crumple like a tin can under the weight of a two ton automobile – hooray.
Reducing Exam Stress
I’d love to say that reducing exam-triggered stress is all about unwinding and taking a load off, but the reality is that there is no way to get rid of the stress until the exams are over. There are ways that you can keep your mood high, however:
Take care of yourself – Feeling good is part of feeling relaxed. Take care of yourself and you'll feel a lot better. Hit the gym- the hormones that are released when you commit to any kind of physical activity help with relaxation and stable moods.
Also, take the time to look your best. Part of feeling good is feeling good about yourself, and looking good is one way to do that. Take a shower, shave, and make sure that you're prim and proper.
Vary your studying – Instead of committing to 12 hour cramming sessions, segregate your studying time so that you're studying a little bit every day. This reduces your total workload and helps with information retention. As well, it lowers the stress that you're apt to feel from exams as you will feel confident knowing that you are better prepared.
Find a study group – Finding a group of five or six people who are in the same situation as you is a great way to make your studying a little bit easier while meeting new people at the same time. If you all have the same ultimate goal you are more likely to succeed.
The best thing that you can do for yourself is quite stalling, open some books, and start absorbing the information that you need to pass. Mucking around will affect your studying capabilities, and hence, your grades.
