Tips to help you get through the exam session
For almost every student, the exam session is the most difficult period of their studies. After all, you have to demonstrate your knowledge in many different areas over a few weeks. Gabija Sruogiūtė-Stašienė, a psychologist at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, has given some tips on how to get through the exam session with less stress.
Gabija Sruogiūtė-Stašienė, psychologist at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre:
“I will share a few tips on how to reduce the tension during the exam.
First of all, it is perfectly normal to worry. All people experience anxiety and worry before important life events, especially exams. A little excitement is, in fact, even good for us, because it releases adrenaline, which mobilises and activates our body and then sharpens our senses, our memory, our concentration, and we are better able to make use of the resources we have. However, sometimes anxiety is so great that, instead of mobilising us, it stiffens and paralyses us. We certainly do not want to experience such anxiety before exams. Therefore, what should we do to prevent this from happening? Very often anxiety comes from a place of uncertainty, so the more clarity we give ourselves in this situation, the calmer we will feel. What I mean is that it is very important to have a learning plan. When we have to prepare for an exam, this is usually a huge amount of information (material) that we have to process. Breaking that material down into smaller chunks will make it much easier for us to absorb and prepare for it than trying to learn everything at once. When we try to learn everything at once, we automatically worry that it will be too much and we won’t be able to keep up. However, when we have a learning plan, when we know that a certain topic is scheduled for a certain day, we feel much more at ease in completing the tasks scheduled for that day.
Another important thing is to have a routine, i.e. go to bed at a certain time, get up at a certain time, eat a healthy diet, drink plenty of water, and do physical activity. Very often it seems that during a session you should cut down on social contacts and not meet anyone, shut yourself in and study. However, researchers say that being around people and having social contacts helps reduce anxiety and tension. In a study on chimpanzees, they found that when a chimpanzee is alone, her levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, are much higher than when she is around other chimpanzees. So having a person or several people with whom you can sit, relax or talk about your feelings is very healthy. It is also very important to remember to take breaks during learning. Normally, you should take breaks every hour, every hour and a half for 15-20 minutes. Also, studies have shown that people who take a 15-minute break every hour and a half are 20% more productive than those who do not.
Another thing that can help us to concentrate when studying and also help us to relax and reduce anxiety is physical activity. Physical activity helps us feel invigorated.Physical activity releases adrenaline, which gives us strength and energy. Physical activity also releases endorphins, which are the pleasure and happiness hormones that help us feel confident and calm. Regular sport is a great way to maintain productivity. Another thing that can help relieve tension is breathing. Breathing exercises are very important to practice so that when a stressful situation comes up, you already have the skill and can calm down. Many breathing exercises can be found on the internet, but one of the simplest and easiest breathing exercises is the 3-3-3 principle. This means that on the count of three we breathe in, then on the count of three we hold our breath and on the remaining three we breathe out. You should repeat this breathing pattern for 3-5 minutes. Breathing slows down our heart rate and this sends signals to our brain that we are calm and relaxed. You can also take advantage of apps that you can download on your phone. One of these apps is called “Ramu”. There you can choose which breathing technique you want to do and how much time you want to spend on it, then find a safe, quiet place where you can sit or lie down and listen to the instructions and follow them.
It’s important to note that most stress is in our heads. After all, we are not normally in any danger here and now. However, when we start thinking, our brain sends signals to our body and our body starts to react as if there really is some kind of danger here and now.Therefore, it is very important to learn to recognise our irrational thoughts, which do not help us to study, to prepare for an examination, or to be at our best during an examination.Irrational thoughts can be such as “I can’t do anything”, “I will fail”, “I am a loser”, “I will fail”, “I didn’t have enough time to prepare”, “I will fail”, etc.The key is to recognise these thoughts and then to stop them by changing them into more positive, supportive thoughts, such as “I will breathe easy and calm down now”, “it is just excitement and it can’t spoil anything for me”, “I have been preparing and I will pay”, “I will succeed”, and so on, in order to come back to reality and accept that “I have been trying, I have been working, and I will be fine”. Scientists studying body language have discovered that our body position can not only indicate how we feel, but it can also influence how we feel. If you wake up on the morning of an exam in the fetal position, which is associated with insecurity and lack of confidence, researchers suggest lying in bed for at least a few more minutes, snoozing, lying down in the starfish pose and staying in that position for 2-3 minutes. Starfish pose is associated with self-confidence. Scientists have discovered that a certain posture changes the balance of hormones in our body, i.e. it decreases cortisol (the stress hormone) and increases testosterone (the self-confidence hormone) when we are in a certain posture. Also, before an exam, researchers recommend sitting with your arms raised in the winner’s pose or burying your hands in a wall as if you were trying to push it. This also mobilises the body and helps you feel more confident.
Finally, remember that there is always a solution to any situation and ask yourself, what is the worst that could happen?Very often we create bad scenarios but forget to find a counterbalance or, in other words, the answers to what I would do if it really happened.
When we focus not on thinking about what will go wrong, but on how we would deal with such situations, the level of anxiety and stress also decreases.
I wish everyone the best of luck. Be active, breathe, think positive and you will pass all your exams!”
2024 05 17