“Nothing diminishes anxiety faster than action.” – Walter Anderson
Anxiety is an emotion that affects many people and can take various forms. Very often individuals feel overwhelmed and believe that they are not coping with whatever demands are placed on their time, abilities and resources. The feeling can impact on you when you are alone, with someone else or when in a large group.
Many people deal with anxiety on a daily basis and some really struggle to overcome it sufficiently to get through the day feeling okay! It is estimated that one in six South Africans citizens suffer from anxiety, depression or substance-abuse problems, according to the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG).
We could go on for hours about anxiety, its causes and the best ways to deal with this very common condition in today’s fast-paced world. However, the focus of today’s article is one which is very specific to matric and varsity students: exam anxiety!
For many, across the country, this condition is not only real, but debilitating. In truth, who can fault students – having to face an exam, anywhere, can really suck, even at the best of times!
There is, however, no need to suffer a panic attack and to enter the exam locale fearful and with sweaty palms. Relax. Take a deep breath, since there are several wonderful tips to help you overcome exam anxiety. Want to know more? Read on and uncover our 10 best strategies for coping with examination anxiety!
1. Follow a Study Timetable
Time management is really a misnomer. You can’t manage time, but you have to look at how you manage yourself within the time you have available!
What you do with your time is key!
Creating a schedule will help you feel in control and bring down your anxiety levels tremendously. Your schedule should make allowance for everything that competes for your time or attention: classes, study session, leisure activities or study breaks and, even, chores.
Seeing your study timetable committed to paper will contribute wonderfully to how in control you will feel as opposed to continuously feeling anxious!
List all the topics that you need to study in order of priority. Calculate and the amount of time you need to allocate to each topic or subject for the week. The class timetable should be a good guide. This will set you on a path of being in control of your studies and reduce the amount of anxiety, that you will encounter, to a minimum!
2. Get Yourself a Study Buddy
Ask almost any varsity student what they would value more than extra time and the inevitable answer would be: a study buddy. This is will be someone whose influence may add untold value to your study programme. In the first instance, this person will keep you motivated, since, from the very start they’ll keep you on track in terms of getting started!
He or she will help you to commit time and energy to the task at hand, since you would have decided beforehand which aspects to study when; possibly according to a worked-out schedule. Kiss exam stress goodbye as you and your buddy support one another, each one taking the lead with their strongest points!
You could view your study buddy as a life-guard who helps to keep you afloat, when you would have panicked, and guides you calmly out of deep waters.
Working with a study buddy may end up being far more beneficial than working in a larger group. A bigger group has so many more individual temperaments and work-habits to take into consideration and may lead to conflict, chaos and, possibly, greater testing anxiety. That’s exactly what you want to avoid, right?
3. Review Only the Most Salient Points
There is a lot of distinctly different or specific information for each university course, plenty of study notes and, in some cases, more than one textbook. If you don’t remain organised and disciplined, you may soon start feeling overwhelmed. One key strategy, in exam anxiety management, will be to focus only on the main points, the most important facts!
You will soon recognise the most salient points, by referring to your textbooks and paying careful attention during lectures. Your lecturer will, in all probability, jot down key words as he or she progresses through the topic. Those are the facts to make a note of and study! By making good notes daily and highlighting the key facts, you will minimise exam stress in every subject!
4. Work Through Previous Papers
- A wonderful way, to prepare for an upcoming exam and reduce testing anxiety, is to work through previous exam papers. It is also important that you review past exams that you have written. Reread the questions carefully and review your responses, picking up where you may have responded inappropriately because you had misread what was asked or provided too little information. Working through previous papers will put you in a very favourable position for the following reasons:
- You will start to recognise the teacher or examiner’s style and you will have an idea of how to respond in the upcoming exam,
- You would have learned from your past mistakes and approach the exam confident in how to interpret questions which were difficult in the past,
- You would have put yourself into exam mode, able to face whatever twist the paper may take.
5. Hit the Pause Button
You’re not a machine, right? Thus, you don’t run along mechanically, hour after hour, completing tasks non-stop! You need to take a break from your studies, every now and then, so that you don’t end up too tightly wound up come exam day.
So, although there may seem a mountain of subject matter to revise, you must realise that it is impossible to complete it without taking a break. It has been said that the way to eat an elephant is one small bite at a time!
This applies to the task of preparing for an exam too!
Don’t continue to push yourself to the point where you're exhausted. It will only serve to demoralise you and make you feel that the task is too huge to accomplish and block your ability to retain much of the learning, something to which you may have already devoted many hours! hours. A great way around this frustrating process is to take a break!
Do something totally different – something you enjoy!
Take a walk, jump on your bike, play some music you can boogie or whatever to or chat with a friend. A brief break, of even just ten minutes, can leave you feeling refreshed and ready to hit the books for another hour, at least!
This is an important component of exam anxiety management which should not be neglected!
6. Dispense With Your Cell Phone
Yes, we know you think that you can’t live separately from this electronic device! But, boy, you would be surprised to find out the difference you would make by switching it off!
All your attention would be focused on your studies and pretty soon you will find out that you’re actually streets ahead of your peers and, have no doubt, you’ll outperform them in the exams!
This is actually a grand exam anxiety management strategy. You shouldn’t have FOMO because your fun will start after the exams. And you'll get double the enjoyment knowing that you've hit the exams out of the park! Testing anxiety will no longer be in your vocabulary!
7. Get Enough Sleep
Yes, it’s true that students live busy lives, especially when in a dorm or when sharing a flat. So, it may sound illogical to suggest to such a busy bee that he or she should slow down and get some rest.
Students, please read this through carefully: you must be some kind of crazy if you expect to lead a busy life, swot all night and expect to be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, ready for class the next morning.
Something is going to give! Your sleep cycle can be thrown into disarray for a long time by a single sleepless night. So, pay attention: hear the experts out and try to get at least seven hours of shuteye every night. You will be primed, ready and well-rested come exam time!
8. Get to the Gym
Getting out into the fresh air or exercising in a gym has numerous benefits for all of us, young or old. We all benefit in a vast number of ways from daily exercise and from simply remaining physically active!
So, hit the gym several times per week, reduce exam anxiety and, as a bonus, feel confident when you hit the beach in summer.
Think of this activity as investing in yourself, not only for the exam season, but for the sake of your health and mental well-being. You may be in such great shape that not even a cold or the ‘flu can interrupt your exam session!
9. Dedicate a Special Study Space
Whether you’ve located a secluded little nook in the campus library, a quiet corner at a local coffee shop or a dedicated study area at home, a specially reserved spot for study will impact on how productive you are and, at the same time, reduce your stress levels!
We are all different in our needs and preferences. You may prefer a sheltered area where there is absolutely no noise, a location where you can hear some human traffic or some white noise in the background; find what suits you best and stick with it!
Many students will attest to the fact that studying in the same area regularly helps them remember the last work they studied quite readily!
10. Chat to a Trusted Teacher or Tutor
Make time to converse with your teachers, tutors, or lecturers about any work that you’re uncertain about. It is best to do this during the course of the year, as educators are extremely busy people around exam times. Don’t leave this for the last minute when everyone is vying for the attention of these folk!
How is this going to help you? By taking your teachers into your confidence, they may just suggest some strategies and tips which will help you get better organised and less anxious about the upcoming exams.
If you lecturers or teachers are too busy, consider hiring a personal tutor. These qualified professionals understand all too well the strain and stress that accompany study for varsity-level exams.
With a pro in your corner, you’ll glide through your exam preparation stress-free and ace that exam!
An important point to note is that it is pretty normal to feel a bit nervous or anxious before a really important exam. It may even positively influence your ability to concentrate and pay attention. As long as the anxiety isn't debilitating, embrace it! Use it to fuel your fire and get cracking!
We do hope that today’s article has assisted in calming you down and made you realise that you’re quite a capable human being. Remeber, take time to get organised and, with a couple of nifty little nicks and tricks, clobber any exam out of the proverbial park! Swing away, slugger!
Enjoyed this article? Leave a rating!
Loading...
