What is exam stress?

You are preparing for CAT or GATE. The bridge graders look up to you. Together with your friends you are at the top of the school pyramid. However, the last year also has less fun things. Such as the final exam. If you only think about it, you probably feel the tension . You may even be stressed! Do you want to know more about exam stress and are you looking for ways to tackle exam stress? In this article we explain what exam stress is and we give you 10 unique and useful tips to help you reduce exam stress.

Healthy tension

The final exam is exciting for every student. That you think a lot about the upcoming exams and the results you will get during the exams is completely normal. Your heart may also beat a little faster every time you think about the exams. It is good to know that these thoughts and symptoms produce more good than evil. They ensure that your brain is quite active; that you are ready to perform. You feel healthy tension at that moment .

For some students, however, the feelings and symptoms are more intense and cause negative effects. If your mental and physical state has more negative than positive consequences, then it is important to do something about it. In this case, stress has changed to stress .

What is exam stress?

To begin, what is exam stress? Exam stress is the negative stress you get thanks to the exams you will have to take . Your body experiences stress symptoms such as headache and abdominal pain. Another negative consequence of exam stress is that you sleep poorly . This makes your body feel even worse and you can be tired and tummy. This again ensures that you can have little and curtly do to anyone who starts the exams. It is also possible that you are so tense that you suffer from a stiff neck, shoulders or back pain. Skin rashes, or itchy and red (main) skin, can also occur due to the stress in your body. The reason your body can react so violently to exam stress is because the body is stress hormones creates when you feel stress.

Fear of failure

In addition to the physical symptoms that stress can cause, exam stress also has a major effect on mental health . The thought of the final exam can in fact generate negative feelings, such as ‘afraid that you will fail’ and ‘the fear of getting bad grades’. Some students feel so anxious that they get completely blocked and get blacked out as a result. Because of the fear they no longer know any answers and cannot write anything down at all. This negative mental state is also known as fear of failure . When fear of failure starts to dominate, the exam period will be a very difficult and difficult time for you.

Tips against exam stress

Below we give you a number of tips on how to deal with exam stress. These are a supplement to the general exam tips that we have prepared for all exam candidates.

Create a list of all the positive things in your life. Count all the positive things in your life and the positive things you have already achieved in your life. Make a note of, for example, the sports competitions that you have won, the performances that you have given, the speaking engagements that you have done or write down all the tests for which you have obtained a good grade. It is important to realize that the list of positive points is greater than the exam stress. If you think of all the positive things in your life, these will dominate the negative thoughts. Ensure a good sleep rhythm . Go to bed on time and try to sleep 8 hours. Sleeping well helps your brain to work optimally. You can think much better if you are rested. Ensure a good learning rhythm. Learning 24 hours a day is useless. At a certain point your brain no longer absorbs new knowledge. It is also very important to take breaks. Think of a learning rhythm with breaks and stop learning on time. An example of a good evening schedule is:

17.00-18.00: learning6:00 pm to 7:00 pm: dinner 19.00-20.30: learning 20.30-21.00: listening to music 9.00 pm – 10.00 pm: learning 10.00 pm – 11.00 pm: chilling, chatting or exercising 23.00-07.00: sleep Don’t be afraid of the nerves. It’s okay to be nervous. If you feel nerves, let them come and don’t be afraid of them. If you panic, it will only get worse. Just let the nerves come in, feel them in your body and stay calm. You notice that the nerves go away naturally, just as every thought does not stay forever. Make a mantra. A mantra is a piece of text that resembles a spell and a prayer. A mantra gives you strength, is personal and guides your mindset. Say your mantra out loud a few times a day. This way you can print it well in your head. If you then take the exam, say this mantra in your head before you begin. An example of a mantra is:

“I feel good, I have all the knowledge, I understand the questions, I have the answers, I am going to get a pass, I am a winner”. Relative. Relativating is the art of putting things in perspective against other things in your life. As a result, you weaken the relevance of the event as it were. The final exam is important and you want to succeed. However, there are other things that are important in your life. Also think for yourself ‘what is the worst that can happen’ and ‘can I live with that’? So if you don’t succeed, what happens? Then you have to redo the year again. Can you live with that? Of course it is. And suppose you think you will get a low grade for one course. If that happened, it does not mean that you have fallen. The school examination mark also counts, just like the marks for other subjects. There is a good chance that despite one unsatisfactory, on average you will end up with a satisfactory. Take a deep breath. Abdominal pain, palpitations and even hyperventilation are reduced by breathing well. By breathing calmly, very slowly and consciously, you become calmer and you reduce pain. Rest and oxygen are good for your body. Drink tea. Drinking tea makes you calm and that’s why it’s a simple way to relax. Use summaries. Exam Overview provides summaries that help you to significantly reduce exam stress . We have summarized the thick study books that you need to learn into well-arranged and short books that save you a lot of time. These ensure that you learn the exam material as quickly as possible. The text is easy to understand because the summaries are written by a study globe in a language that you understand. The summaries consist of an explanation of the theory and concepts, but also practice questions and QR codes with links to videos. That way you can choose how you want to learn the material. To practice. The big secret to get through the final exam in a relaxed way is to practice! Passing the exam with high marks means a lot of practice. Intelligent students succeed by going through the material, but you can only become the best in class by practicing a lot. ExamOverzicht offers extensive exercise books in which the many useful exercise questions are listed. Of course they also contain the answers, so that you can immediately see whether you have answered the questions correctly. The exercise books consist of entry questions, old exam questions and unique exam questions.

Conclusion

Healthy tension is good and occurs with every student. Exam stress is not pleasant, but can be tackled well with the above tips and the summaries and exercise books of Exam Overview. However, if fear of failure is a dominant factor in your life, it is advisable to call in professional help. Psychologists and coaches are trained to help you overcome fear of failure.