Managing Stress During The Exams

First, when you sit down, notice your posture and straighten your back. This will help you feel more alert than if you were to slouch over the table. Next, take deep abdominal breaths with your hands on your stomach. Do this until you feel calm and alert.

Whenever you find yourself thinking negative thoughts, such as 'I can't write this test' or 'I'm going to fail', force yourself to stop. Mentally shout 'Stop!' to yourself, or picture the words. Once you have done that, you can continue your relaxation techniques, or you can mentally go over what you have studied.

Say positive things to yourself during the test, so that you feel more confident. If you find yourself feeling too anxious, look out of the window or play a mental word game. This will distract you and help you feel calm.

Plan out your answers, as well as the order you will be answering the questions in. This will save time as well as make you feel more confident as you answer the questions you know better first. Keep a separate piece of paper to jot down ideas that occur to you as you go along. Remember that if you start to feel panicky in the middle of the paper, to go back to the relaxation techniques. Doing them for five or ten minutes at this point can help you salvage the rest of the exam.