How to beat exam stress–your recipe for success!

One of my friends walked out of an exam once, within minutes of sitting down (statistics exam-FYI-no surprises there then!) She had spent the previous three days in a frenzy of anxiety & panic: hyperventilating at the very thought of it. When she finally sat down to do the exam her mind went blank.

Knowing what I now know about performing well under pressure, it is clear that without meaning to she had been rehearsing for disaster. increasing her chances of things going wrong, for days. Here is how it all went wrong:

She had been regularly imagining herself flunking it – playing nightmare scenarios of not being able to do it in her mind. As a result of this she was hyperventilating every time she sat down to revise. This had the effect of turning on the Fight or Flight/ stress response: further ramping up her anxiety. This would,in turn, have effected her ability to ‘think straight’ and meant that she couldn’t take in what she was reading.

She was hyped up like this for days before hand & wouldn’t talk about anything else or leave her desk to exercise or relax in anyway-which also wasn’t helping. Although all of this is very understandable (& we’ve probably all been there-I certainly have!) it did her no favours at all & was a recipe for performing badly.

If you’d like to ensure that this doesn’t happen to you, here’s how – in 3 simple steps! (Your cut out & keep, recipe for doing well in an exam!):

Recipe for Success

1) Use the days & weeks leading up to your exams well: make a battle plan (in this case known as a timetable!); divide each day into morning, afternoon & evening slots & decide in advance when you will be studying & when you will be taking time out & doing other things (be sure to block out those times in your timetable as well). Then stick to it!!

2) Regularly imagine yourself doing well. Use your imagination to rehearse for success by imagining yourself going into the exam calm & staying calm & 100% focused on the task in hand: performing at your best throughout.

3) Focus on your breathing. Practise making your out-breath longer than your in-breath. Doing this turns on your body’s natural relaxation response & allows you to access your whole brain & perform at your best. Do this together with step 2 every time you sit down to revise.

As John Travolta the Hollywood film star, dancer & pilot said:

“Battle plans are really necessary – lists, goals, targets & so on. You have to be systematic about how you might achieve things if you want to get it done. I was always professional in what I set out to do, whether as a performer or an aviator.”

As for my friend, she went on to re-sit the exam & pass it & then she passed a whole series of exams & left university with a good degree: so not quite the disaster she had feared! More information on improving performance in any area of your life can be found here.

If you would like help with learning any of the relaxation techniques mentioned in this article (positive visualisation & 7/11 breathing) contact any of our therapists at Mindfully Well and we will be happy to help you.

Good luck!

By Ann Marie Taylor – MindFully Well Psychotherapist who holds clinics in Dublin Southside & in Greystones, County Wicklow.

If you are suffering from exam stress, all therapists in the MindFully Well network at locations across Ireland, are fully trained & qualified in the treatment methods mentioned in this article. Contact any therapist and they will be happy to help you.