Exam Stress

Exam Stress (Part 2 )

by: ramadiani k. yusuf

Almost all students have stress, especially during exams. Exam stress is a symptom that arises due to excessive anxiety on exam results. They fear cannot answer the exam questions properly and do not pass the exam, which will make their parents upset. What does the effect of exam stress? We can cope it if we know the causes. These are the several causes of exam stress; lack of self confidence,  higher targets for test scores, parents pressure and how to overcome them.

Many causes of exam stress that we can identify. The main cause of the exam stress is a lack of confidence. The lack of self-confidence because they think the test subject is difficult to learn. So they could not optimistic to get good results. The next cause exam stress is the high targets for test scores. Students always target the high value to compete with their classmates. They compete to be the best, otherwise they will be depressed if they received lower grades than others. Further cause of exam stress is parental pressure. All parents want their children to smart and accomplished. Instead, they will be disappointed if their children failed the exam. Pressure from parents can make students feel stress before exams. Thus some of the causes of exam stress that we know and will overcome together.

After knowing the causes of exam stress, we can relieve the stress in different ways. The first way is to prepare a time schedule for effective learning. With a regular schedule study, we can understand a difficult subject because we had a chance to ask questions and repeat the lesson before the test. The second way is learning without burden. Learning would be nice if we understand the subject, not merely for the high grade. If we enjoy learning, automatically we will get good grades. The third way is communication with parents. Every parent would love their children. They just do not want their children to fail. With a good communication, they will appreciate the efforts of their children and will accept whatever their exam results.  Such alternatives that we can use to reduce the causes of exam stress.

We can conclude that the causes of exam stress are a lack of confidence because of unfamiliarity subject, a high value target due to competition, as well as parents pressure who do not want their children to fail. But all these problems can be overcome in various ways such as making the time schedule of effective learning, learning without burden and create good communication with parents. Nothing further discussion about exam stress, may be useful for the students.

6 Tips to Beat Final Exam Stress  According to Zephyr 

1. Avoid stressful people.

Stress actually is contagious. During exam week, resist the urge to have a study session with your super-tense friend, especially if she’s complaining about all the work she has to do and breaking pencils all over the place. Her stress will only add to your stress.

2. Eat healthy and exercise.

This seems like a no-brainer, but it’s a wonder how many people forget it. Skip the sugar, which will make you crash, and go for snacks like granola bars, healthy cereal or fruits and veggies to keep your blood sugar stable. If you’re studying for a long period of time, eat some protein too. Also, try to get some form of exercise. Even a 10 minute walk will leave you calmer and more focused.

3. Just say NO.

I don’t mean to drugs, although I’m not recommending them or anything. What you need to say no to are the people who want to take up your time. There will probably be a friend who needs to talk to you for hours about her life, or a keg party the night before your final, and if you say yes, you’ll probably be tempted to blow off studying. Resist the urge. Say no to the distractions and be selfish for a day. You want a good GPA, right?

4. Force yourself to take breaks.

For every hour or so that you work, take a 10 or 15 minute break. Let yourself do whatever you want (check Facebook, check out that guy sitting nearby, stare off into space, call a friend, etc.) for those 10-15 mins, then start working again. This gives your brain a little rest and will help keep you more focused when you are actually doing work.

5. Visualize it all going right.

This is actually my favorite tip of all, even though it sounds kind of nuts. Imagine yourself taking the test and feeling confident that you know all the information. Picture getting all of the answers right, and focus on how relaxed you feel. Then picture the A on your test paper. When you imagine a happy ending, that’s often what happens, because you make the decisions that lead to it without even realizing.

6. If you’ve studied all you can, get up your confidence!

When test-time rolls around, it’s time to get yourself into confidence mode. You’ve prepared as much as you could, and now it’s time to ace the test. The tip here is to do whatever works to convince yourself you are going to do really well. Again, I know this tip sounds a little crazy but you just have to try it for yourself. I think you’ll like the results.

Exams...

Hands up who has never stressed about exams. Even if only a tiny bit. For most of us, exams are the most pressurised times of our lives.

And (a little bit of) stress does us good. How could we motivate ourselves through 100 pages of The Russian Revolution if we weren't remotely bothered?

So everyone has bad days. Sometimes our stress levels get out of hand. This can stop us performing at our best. And mess with our body as well as our mind.

What are the symptoms?

• Difficulty getting to sleep or difficulty waking up in the morning
• Constant tiredness
• Forgetfulness
• Unexplained aches and pains
• Poor appetite
• Loss of interest in activities
• Increased anxiety and irritability
• Increased heart rate
• Migraines/headaches
• Blurred vision
• Dizziness

If you've noticed three or more of the above symptoms and you've experienced them for a few weeks you may need to do something about your stress levels.

So how should I deal with exam stress?

• Learn to recognize when you're stressing out. A break or a chat with someone who knows the pressure you're under will get things into perspective. 

• Avoid comparing your abilities with your mates. Those "Oh my God I've only read Macbeth 17 times" conversations are such a wind up. Everyone approaches revision in different ways, so just make sure you've chosen the method that works best for you. Make a realistic timetable. Stick to it.

• Eat right. Treat yourself like a well honed machine. Fresh fruit and veg. Proper breakfasts. No one can think straight on Coffee and Cornflakes.

• Sleep well. Wind down before bed. Don't revise under the duvet - your bed is a sanctuary not a desk. Get your 8 hours.

• Exercise. Nothing distresses the mind faster than physical activity. Build it into your timetable. Being a sloth makes our mind sloppy too.

• Quit the bad habits. Cigarettes. Alcohol. Never stopped anyone being stressed for long.

• Panic is often triggered by hyperventilating (ex quick, shallow breaths). So if you feel yourself losing it during the exam, sit back for a moment and control your breathing. Deep breath in and out through the nose. Counting to five each way.