Effective Strategies for Managing Exam Stress
www.kent.ac.uk/student-learning-advisory-service
Managing exam stress
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Susceptibility to illness (e.g. tummy aches)
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Mood swings/emotional feelings
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Nervous habits (e.g. biting fingernails)
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Changes in eating and sleeping habits
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Increase in smoking or drinking
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Low energy, being unproductive
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Not looking after yourself
You can do things to help
avoid
or
reduce
stress
You can also do things to help
manage
it
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Poor exam preparation
may cause stress, so…
•
Start your revision early, get organised and work to a plan
•
Use effective revision skills to be confident that you are
revising properly
•
Familiarise yourself with exam techniques (including any IT
requirements) so you know that you will manage the exam
well on the day
(See Online Bitesize Skills Development sessions and study guides on
‘Planning your revision’, Revision skills’ and exam techniques’)
Available at:
http://www.kent.ac.uk/student-learning-advisory-service
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Fear of the unknown
may cause stress, so…
•
Find out when, where and how each exam will take place
•
Find out the rules and IT requirements for online exams
•
Develop a good idea of the topics likely to come up,
based on
studying past exam papers, topics emphasised by lecturers or
related to key module/learning outcomes
•
Use past papers to familiarise yourself with exam formats and
typical content. Practise sitting them in exam conditions
(See Online Bitesize Skills Development sessions on ‘Online exams’, and the
SLAS study guide ‘Planning Revision and Preparation for Online Exams’)
Available at:
http://www.kent.ac.uk/student-learning-advisory-service
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Unexpected problems
may cause stress, so…
•
Think ahead and adopt a ‘just in case’ policy
- The day before an online exam check that your IT is working
- Make a ‘do not disturb’ sign for your door to avoid interruptions
- If travelling, catch an earlier bus than you need, ‘just in case’.
- If you are unfamiliar with the room in which the exam will
take place, check its location before the day of the exam
- Have contingency plans in place to cope with unforeseen caring
or work situations that might arise before or during your exam.
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Avoid large amounts of caffeine/sugar (and any resulting crash)
•
Eat - preferably a balanced breakfast/lunch.
•
Arrive at exam hall, or your ‘workstation’, in plenty of time
•
Check you are in the right place, sitting the right exam
•
Get comfortable,
relax
and breathe
•
Don’t rush – think and plan before you start writing
- Read the information carefully and follow all instructions
- Work out a time plan (and stick to it)
- Decide on your strategy (e.g. high/easy points questions first)
- Now you can start confidently
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Stay aware of timing throughout – stick to your plan
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If things go wrong don’t panic, use these recovery strategies…
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To avoid, reduce and manage exam stress:
•
Prepare well - start early, get organised, revise efficiently
•
Eliminate the unknown - find out what you need to know
•
Work to a plan - for revision, exam papers, individual essays
•
Take regular breaks during revision
•
Look after your health (eat well, get enough sleep, exercise)
‘Brainsmart’ (BBC)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnpQrMqDoqE
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All of these activities may help you manage exam stress:
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For up-to-date exam information go to:
https://www.kent.ac.uk/csao/exams/students/index.html
Mindfulness techniques
- Guides and tutorials help you relax:
https://www.kent.ac.uk/guides/mindfulness
Seeking further support
- Student Support and Wellbeing:
https://www.kent.ac.uk/student-support
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For guidance on the broader range of revision and exam skills
please go to the SLAS webpages
http://www.kent.ac.uk/student-learning-advisory-service
where you can:
•
Book a
one-to-one appointment
with a SLAS adviser
•
Attend a range of
Online Bitesize Skills Development sessions
which include topics such as ‘Revision skills’, ‘Exam techniques’
and ‘Online exams’.
www.kent.ac.uk/student-learning-advisory-service
SLAS
CONNECT
To book an appointment:
learning@kent.ac.uk
SLASkent
KentUniSLAS
SLASkent
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Understanding the impact of stress on your health and well-being is crucial when preparing for exams. This article provides valuable insights on how stress can affect you and offers practical tips to avoid or reduce stress during exam periods. Learn how to start your revision early, develop effective study habits, and manage unexpected challenges to ensure a successful exam experience.
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Presentation Transcript
Managing exam stress www.kent.ac.uk/student-learning-advisory-service
How might stress affect you? How might stress affect you? Susceptibility to illness (e.g. tummy aches) Mood swings/emotional feelings Nervous habits (e.g. biting fingernails) Changes in eating and sleeping habits Increase in smoking or drinking Low energy, being unproductive Not looking after yourself You can do things to help avoid or reduce stress You can also do things to help manage it
Avoid or reduce stress Avoid or reduce stress Poor exam preparation may cause stress, so Start your revision early, get organised and work to a plan Use effective revision skills to be confident that you are revising properly Familiarise yourself with exam techniques (including any IT requirements) so you know that you will manage the exam well on the day (See Online Bitesize Skills Development sessions and study guides on Planning your revision , Revision skills and exam techniques ) Available at: http://www.kent.ac.uk/student-learning-advisory-service
Avoid or reduce stress Avoid or reduce stress Fear of the unknown may cause stress, so Find out when, where and how each exam will take place Find out the rules and IT requirements for online exams Develop a good idea of the topics likely to come up, based on studying past exam papers, topics emphasised by lecturers or related to key module/learning outcomes Use past papers to familiarise yourself with exam formats and typical content. Practise sitting them in exam conditions (See Online Bitesize Skills Development sessions on Online exams , and the SLAS study guide Planning Revision and Preparation for Online Exams ) Available at: http://www.kent.ac.uk/student-learning-advisory-service
Avoid or reduce stress Avoid or reduce stress Unexpected problems may cause stress, so Think ahead and adopt a just in case policy - The day before an online exam check that your IT is working - Make a do not disturb sign for your door to avoid interruptions - If travelling, catch an earlier bus than you need, just in case . - If you are unfamiliar with the room in which the exam will take place, check its location before the day of the exam - Have contingency plans in place to cope with unforeseen caring or work situations that might arise before or during your exam.
On exam day On exam day Avoid large amounts of caffeine/sugar (and any resulting crash) Eat - preferably a balanced breakfast/lunch. Arrive at exam hall, or your workstation , in plenty of time Check you are in the right place, sitting the right exam Get comfortable, relax and breathe Don t rush think and plan before you start writing - Read the information carefully and follow all instructions - Work out a time plan (and stick to it) - Decide on your strategy (e.g. high/easy points questions first) - Now you can start confidently
During the exam During the exam Stay aware of timing throughout stick to your plan If things go wrong don t panic, use these recovery strategies Put pen down, read what you ve done so far, plan next steps If your mind goes blank Note everything you know about the topic Leave a gap and move to next question. Go back later Divide remaining time between number of answers better to put key information in each rather than leave any blank if you can help it If you are running out of time Get main points down and any evidence, even if it is just in bullets. Go back later to fill in detail if you have time Stop writing and re-read the question If you are getting confused Re-look at your plan have you gone off track?
Summary Summary - - final tips final tips To avoid, reduce and manage exam stress: Prepare well - start early, get organised, revise efficiently Eliminate the unknown - find out what you need to know Work to a plan - for revision, exam papers, individual essays Take regular breaks during revision Look after your health (eat well, get enough sleep, exercise)
Choose and use Choose and use All of these activities may help you manage exam stress: Brainsmart (BBC) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnpQrMqDoqE
Help and information Help and information For up-to-date exam information go to: https://www.kent.ac.uk/csao/exams/students/index.html Mindfulness techniques - Guides and tutorials help you relax: https://www.kent.ac.uk/guides/mindfulness Seeking further support - Student Support and Wellbeing: https://www.kent.ac.uk/student-support
Further resources Further resources For guidance on the broader range of revision and exam skills please go to the SLAS webpages http://www.kent.ac.uk/student-learning-advisory-service where you can: Book a one-to-one appointment with a SLAS adviser Attend a range of Online Bitesize Skills Development sessions which include topics such as Revision skills , Exam techniques and Online exams .
Get in touch Get in touch SLAS CONNECT To book an appointment: www.kent.ac.uk/student-learning-advisory-service learning@kent.ac.uk SLASkent KentUniSLAS SLASkent
