It’s true. Everyone worries about exams. Everyone worries whether they’ve revised enough, or what might happen if they fail a paper.
Sometimes, though, exam nerves can get the better of you. And when anxiety floors you so much that you dread going to school, that’s when you must do something constructive to fight back.
Exam anxiety is something we regularly blog about as our tutors come across it all the time. While some students are anxious for other reasons, the thought of exams can stop you from progressing.
So today, we’re here to help. Grab a drink, get comfy and read on.
How to Handle Niggling Exam Worries
Face the fear.
We’ve been there. Slunk off to do anything BUT revision!
The trouble is that if you do this, the problem just gets worse. Instead, it’s better to take a small step forward than a giant leap back.
Start. Today. Now.
Think about what is troubling you most. Maybe you’re worried about a couple of important subjects. Be honest. What are they?
Once you’ve whittled your subjects down, and you’re staring the scariest ones in the face, give yourself a pat on the back. You’ve taken control. Not let anxiety bully you. Yay!
Next up: tackle the tough stuff.
So, that subject we were talking about? Let’s narrow things down to something easier to manage.
Bullet point which parts of that subject you struggle with. What is your teacher always saying to you?
Have you any exams or assessments to hand to flick through? This list is your starting point, OK?
Tackling topics that cause the most anxiety is actually the best way to overcome it. We promise you!
Now you’re in control.
Now you’ve some topics or skills that you know you’re rusty on, tackle them one by one.
Say you want to spend the next two weeks improving on these topics? If you work out times you know you’re free during that fortnight, you can create a do-able study plan.
Pop those topics in, including coming back to the same topics in week two to test your understanding.
Your exam worries might still be hanging around as it’s natural to fret, remember? But because you’re doing something practical, they won’t get any bigger.
Sniff out some exam techniques we’ve blogged about in the past.
The Quickest Ways to Fix Exam Nerves?
- Ask for help from a teacher, parent or private tutor
- Find out when revision lessons are on at school
- Search on YouTube for lessons. Plenty of teachers post lessons online!
- Notice your successes as well as difficulties
- Practise deep breathing to get any anxiety under control in a jiffy
If you’re a parent reading this – hopefully with a hot cuppa – we have a team of the very best tutors and teachers who’ve helped scores of young people to exam success.
We’ve worked our socks off with some extremely anxious students across Manchester and Cheshire, so do get in touch if you’ve hit a brick wall with your son and daughter.
- Image courtesy of Young Minds
Tags: anxious, breathing exercises, exam anxiety, Exam techniques, fail, revision, successes, YouTube