Do you often find yourself getting anxious when exams knock at your door? Research has indicated that anxiety can lead to affect and hinder the performance of students in examinations directly. Anxiety up to a certain limit is positive and can even help improve the way in which a pupil handles their work.
As the saying goes nothing too much can ever be good this applies here as well. So the question we find ourselves wondering is how can you as a pupil combat such feelings and emerge calm and collected? There are several tips which can be very helpful to stay calm.
Importance of reducing exam anxiety
Not everyone understands the importance of those who are composed and collected, but it is a rare quality to possess. Especially while tackling hard times or stressful situations those virtues can be beneficial in the following ways:
- Those who overcome their anxious behavior can think more clearly this helps them to be able to be producing everything they have learnt without getting jumbled or forgetting. Many students make the mistake of becoming nervous and this makes them forget even after spending hours learning points and paragraphs.
- Anxiety directly affects one’shandwriting and presentation is very important in an exam. Imagine one teacher correcting several scripts they will automatically be lenient towards the paper which is eye-pleasing.
- When you are not anxious it shows in your work, the answers are clear, direct and to the point. Nervous persons beat around the bush and often miss the crux of the questions losing out on marks.
- Reduction of exam anxiety can be great because this gives these persons the power to be able to tackle equally taxing and difficult situations in their lives to come. No matter what you are faced with if the relaxing techniques are properly applied you can wriggle out of any situation.
- Personality is shaped in these times of pressure and if the person who is being tested can keep a cool head and face all the obstacles with equal composure and concentration without over thinking or panicking it will help them become better human beings.
- Nervousness is a sign of weakness and fragility. It shows the persons inability to keep themselves in check and this is not desirable at all. When you grow not only does one have to absorb knowledge and information but they have to work on themselves to improve and grow constantly.
After understanding the importance of reduction of anxiousness, it is now time to turn our attention to the tips that can make it possible.
Tips to reduce anxiety
Often one hears several ways in which any person can easily combat and overcome their nervousness. However, not everyone can say that they have mastered this ability. The reason is that they do not work on this problem each day and only apply the techniques a few days before the examinations.
Anxiety cannot be overridden by people, in a matter of days it may take months. So make sure that each one follows the tips given below religiously and rid them of anxiety:
- Prepare in advance
The tip of preparing for the exams in advance should not be underestimated. This may seem like a simple and easy thing to accomplish but it is often overlooked and since students are not preparedin time they become very anxious and this is extremely detrimental.
Many people are often confused about how they should go about preparations. The ideal ways to get ready for the examinations to come are as follows:
- Start by planning out your schedule. Start well inadvance and make sure you have at least two or three months in advance.
- Begin with the subjects you find most difficult and give you enough time to tackle them.
- Make sure you know your syllabus, check it again with the teacher and your peers so that you do not miss any topic.
- If you have mathematics and numerical problems, give special attention.
- For theory based subjects apply techniques of mnemonics and reading out loud to master the topic.
With the help of the above points, you can now begin getting ready for the tests ahead.
- Revise thoroughly
Most students make the mistake of giving it their all to prepare a topic but not revise it. The thing about the mind is that our sensory receptors and the memory bank cannot store everything you study indefinitely.
Hence, if it desired to remember something thoroughly, it needs to be constantly reinforced. The best way to reinforce the information is by revising. Apply the techniques of revision for better learning:
- Part Revision is where you divide the work into two or more portions and revise it one at a time.
- Whole revision is when you revise the entire portion in one try and see how much you remember.
- Cue revision is when you go through a portion and use cues to remember better like prompts.
Thus with a proper planned and systematic revision, your anxiety will be at bay.
- Exercise is key
Exercise is the least appreciated when it comes to tackling an anxious person. However, exercise is the most effective technique which can be applied by a student. When it comes to this technique, it can be a simple breathing exercise or a proper workout.
The kind of exercise one goes in for will depend on their will but it is without any doubt useful. The reason for its effectiveness is that it directs focus to the body and not the mind. This change in focus works wonders. Instead of pondering on 6 best ways to perform just the day before your final exam just breathe and get the job done.
- Keep time for yourself
Are you trying to overcome your anxiety? The best way you can make that happen is by doing something for yourself. If you have a hobby or a hidden passion, go ahead and pursue it. No one can top an exam just by studying it will put excessive pressure on your brain and cause you to have a breakdown.
Instead, distract one by doing something that is fun and entertaining. It can also be quite few hours with a book or listening to your favorite music album. Breaks are important while studying and work wonders in combating anxious pupils.
- Rest is crucial
It is the right time to the burst the bubble for all those who feel that studying one night before the exam or pulling constant whole night before the test can help you do well. Not only does it cause immense damage to your sleep cycle but hinders your learning.
When a person does not get enough rest, the mind cannot store the information it has gathered efficiently and this leads to lapses and gaps in memory. These gaps widen by the time you wake up in the morning after a mere few hours rest. Lack of sleep leads to fatigue and fatigue is directly responsible for reducing the body’s resilience.
Hence what can be understood from these above tips is that the crucial ways to make sure any individual is able to tackle and overcome their exam anxiety is by being a thorough learner and careful about personal health.