Dealing with Exam Stress
Dealing with Exam Stress
Whether your student is in year 12 or 13, doing mock exams, end of year exams or the real A levels, the chances are they will experience exam stress along the way.
There are lots of things you can do to mitigate the effects of stress whilst revising/preparing for exams. The single most effective thing is to make sure that working for exams starts early enough. If you/your student has already left it late, or very late to start preparing, the exam stress may well add to the difficulties faced.
A sensible routine of work needs to be planned and executed reliably. A quiet place, away from distractions caused by phones and social media, is something that parents can provide for their students.
When preparing for your A-level physics I would advocate not revising at all! Just do past paper questions. Not revising seems a very strange instruction for a physics teacher to give. However, A-level physics is tested by doing A level Physics exams, so that is what you should practice!
An important step, which many students leave out, is practising the timing of an exam. Making sure that you work fast enough and accurately enough under time-limited conditions is something that you can improve. Bear in mind that NOW is the worst performance you’re likely to produce and you will improve as Time Goes On. So don’t allow yourself to be discouraged by a relatively poor performance. Things can only go up from here!
If you panic in exams, there are some things you can do which will help. Seven-eleven breathing involves breathing-in for seven counts and out for eleven. Breathing-out for longer than you breathe-in, helps to flush out carbon dioxide which builds up in your lungs if you do panic-panting-type breathing as a result of stress. Getting rid of the excess carbon dioxide makes you feel less panicked and consequently less stressed.
If you really are an exam phobic, I would recommend that you seek professional help with techniques and maybe even medications to help you perform your best in exams.
If you get extra time you need to practice using it. If you have a scribe you need to practice using one. If you use a computer in your exams then you need to practice using that. You need to practice using anything that you are going to have access to in your exam.
So when you are doing past paper questions in the build-up to the exam always work under exam conditions have a calculator and data sheet to hand don’t speak to anyone, don’t have music on, work in silence.
But the biggest and most effective way about being not stressed for exams is to be well prepared. The best preparation is lots of past paper questions. You need to do so many that when you see an A-level question you think yourself “oh I’ve seen one of those before”.
Finally, use the examiners reports. These official reports, which are available on the exam board website, tell you exactly what the examiners are looking for and where most people make mistakes. This is invaluable knowledge and you should look at at least some examiners reports for each of the papers you are going to sit.
Before any exam, whether it’s the real one or a mock, you should have a good night’s sleep and a good breakfast. So don’t stay up until two am revising – it’s counter productive. And if you can’t face breakfast the morning of your exam, take a banana or a fruit & nut bar into the exam with you, without any wrappers of course.
For your A-level physics exam, remember to take a scientific calculator the one that you always practice with. Take a 30 centimeter clear plastic ruler, and a protractor, a sharp pencil, a rubber and a black permanent ink pen, a biro is ideal. If you don’t get given a data sheet in your exam ask for one; you are entitled to it.
And finally show off to the examiner. This is your chance to show the world how good you are at physics!
