Expert Tips From an Experienced Teacher and Examiner on How to Reduce Exam Stress

It happens to all of us, racing heart, sweaty palms, shaking hands. It is a natural fight or flight response. It is your body's way of protecting you from danger or a stressful situation. You cannot prevent it from happening, but there are many things you can do to help control it, both before and during the exams. Here are my top 6 tips for you to try to reduce exam stress:

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1. Make sure you are fully prepared for the exam. Revise before. I know this sounds obvious, but if you have not fully prepared, this will increase you nervousness before the exams. Top revision tips include writing flash cards to remember those all important key words, write revision notes or mind maps, and practice exam questions. Practice makes perfect, and the more practice you do, the more likely you will be able to answer the questions in the exam. For exams which require you to remember formula, use post it notes to have these stuck around your bedroom. The more you view them, the more likely you are to remember them.

2. Pack your bag the night before the exam. Make sure you have all the equipment you will need for the exam including at least two blue or black pens, pencil, rubber, pencil sharpener, ruler, calculator and maths set.

3. Eat a good meal at least an hour before the exam. It needs to be balanced with carbohydrates, fats and protein so you do not spike your sugar levels too much. Remember, you brain uses glucose (sugar) as fuel, so you need enough to get you through the exam!

4. Take deep breaths before the exam. This will help decrease your heart rate and oxygenate your brain.

5. Take a bottle of water into the exam (if you are allowed). A dehydrated brain cannot focus. Take small sips throughout the exam.

6. When the exam starts, read the questions carefully. Underline or highlight the key command terms in the questions. If you do not know the answer straight away, then skip the question and answer the ones you can. This will improve your confidence. You may then find when you go back to the questions you skipped, you can now answer them. Also, start with the higher scoring questions.

I hope these tips help. There are some great YouTube videos which can also help with breathing techniques to help you manage stress. But the most important thing is to make sure you are prepared. Don't cram the night before. This will stress you out. Make sure you get a good night's sleep. Remember, a tired brain cannot function and you will be more likely to forget important facts. Break revision into small 30-45 minute chunks. Have a revision timetable to stick to as this will make you feel more relaxed and prepared. Start revising the topics you find the hardest first.

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And remember, practice makes perfect! There are so many revision sites now to help you with revision notes and past paper exam questions.