Effective Strategies to Cope with Examination Stress During Year-End Exams

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No matter which education level you’re at, examination season can be one of the most stressful times in the school year if you’re a student in Singapore. While there have been changes introduced over the years by the Ministry of Education to alleviate the stress levels of students, it’s still undeniable that examinations are a hectic and stress-filled period, particularly with how much grades matter in our society.

It’s natural to feel stressed out by your impending papers. We share a few ways that you can manage your stress, and more importantly, signs of when you may want to seek help to cope with your examination stress.

Causes of Examination Stress

Examination stress may set in while you’re preparing for your examinations or when you’re just about to sit for your papers. How you experience this stress differs across individuals: it may manifest as being unable to sleep leading up to your paper, feeling like you can’t remember any of the information you’ve studied, or even feeling your heart race when you’re taking your examination.

You may be feeling stressed because of a variety of reasons, including:

Feeling like you haven’t prepared enough or that you don’t have enough time to cover everything you need to do
Worrying that there is too much weighing on this paper that you’re taking; such as if you’re sitting for your O Levels or A Levels
Feeling pressure from yourself, or from parents or guardians to do well
Competitiveness with your peers and comparing yourself against how well your friends have done
Worrying about the future and how you may be impacted by your results

Tips to Dealing with Examination Stress

To cope with your stress, it may be good to take some time and examine what you’re feeling, and determine what may be the exact reasons for what you’re feeling. This may be a challenging exercise; but knowing the cause for your stress will help you better tackle what you’re facing, so that you can feel better, heading into the examination hall.

Here are also some general pointers that can help you manage your pre-examination jitters, and calm your mind.

Create a Study Plan

Preparation is key to confidence – and there’s no better way to prepare than to make a study plan. Have a rough outline of all the material that you’ll need to cover before sitting for your papers, and break it down into manageable amounts throughout the time you have available. As far as your time allows, make sure to avoid overwhelming yourself with too much to study in one day.

Be realistic about what you’d be able to achieve, so that you don’t create unnecessary pressure on yourself to complete more than what may be physically possible. You should also keep this plan rather flexible, and change it as you go along, tailoring it to your study speed and understanding of the material. This plan should facilitate your studies, and not cause you more stress to keep up.

Find your Relaxation Routine

Curate a list of activities that can help you to calm down. This can be taking in deep breaths, focusing on the path of your breath through your body; learning mindfulness practices; or maybe even listening to music of an artiste that you like. The purpose of doing so is to let yourself fall into a familiar routine, where your body knows it’ll enter a state of calm and relaxation. Try to practice this regularly and make it a habit.

This relaxation routine can be something you go through before you enter the examination hall, to soothe your nerves ahead of the paper.

Look for Social Support

You don’t necessarily have to study with friends, if you find that study groups don’t work for you. However, even if you choose to study alone, it doesn’t mean you should isolate yourself. Stay in touch with classmates or friends who are taking the same papers as you. It can be a heartening feeling to know that you have others that are facing the same challenges as you, knowing that you’re not alone in your struggles.

Talk to your loved ones and close friends about how you’re feeling – especially if you find that you’re starting to feel overwhelmed by all the preparation. Sometimes, just the act of speaking our feelings out loud can help you to feel better.

Prioritise Your Health

No matter how busy you are, don’t neglect your physical and mental health. Set aside time to eat healthy, nutritious meals; as proper nutrition is important to fuelling your brain, and supporting your study sessions.

Find time for your physical activity too. While a half-hour walk or run may seem like an impossible ask if your deadlines are looming, it’s good to even have a 5-minute stretch break or put on a short YouTube video for a yoga session. Clocking physical activity boosts your endorphin levels, which can help you to feel better and relieve your stress.

It’s also essential that you get enough hours of quality sleep. Avoid burning the midnight oil just to study; and try to make sure you still have about 7 – 9 hours of sleep. This is because a lack of proper rest can actually impact your memory and performance; as well as cause fluctuations in your emotions. After all, when your body is feeling good, your mind will follow as well!

Talk to a Professional

Lastly, if you find it impossible to cope with your stress and anxiety, speaking to a professional may be a good solution. A therapist would be able to guide you to identify the key stressors and factors in your examination stress; and provide you with effective ways to manage what you’re feeling.

You can reach out to any of our therapists at A Space Between, and schedule a session with them for support on dealing with examination stress, or any other issues you’re concerned with.

References

Written by Em Tang

An experienced health & wellness writer, I am a story-teller at heart. For me, writing is a way of weaving together the little details that make our existence meaningful and significant into a beautiful, larger story.

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Effective Strategies to Cope with Examination Stress During Year-End Exams

Causes of Examination Stress