Coping with exams

Dealing With Exam Stress: Tips for successful studying

Revising:
Exam time is the climax to all your years at school. The pressure to do well can cause stress at exam time and is difficult to handle. Remember that exam time is not the only chance you'll have to prove yourself. Being able to organise your revision time will help to prepare you for when the exams start. Some tips are listed below

• WRITE YOUR OWN REVISION NOTES; you will learn as you write. Reading your notes back out loud can help to make what you have written sink in.
• CHOOSE SPECIFIC AREAS TO STUDY, don't only choose the ones you find easiest but try to challenge yourself.
• TIME YOURSELF if you are concerned about only having a short time to answer the questions.
• DON'T OVER DO IT. Your concentration will lapse after an hour or so. Give yourself plenty of breaks from your books.
• BUT AVOID TEMPTATIONS. Distractions reduce the flow in your concentration and make it harder to return to your books. Allocate times in the day for relaxing and times for studying.

Under Pressure:
Feeling as though people are relying on your success at exam time is an added and unnecessary pressure. Talk to your family if they are piling the pressure on. Sometimes people are only keen for you to do well but if their interest is worrying you, discuss it with them. Remember that you can talk to teachers and friends too, if you need some support. Be sure to:

• SET YOUR OWN GOALS. Be realistic and make targets that you will be likely to achieve. Try not to live up to others expectations if you feel they are unrealistic.
• RELAX. Take time away from your books. Do something completely different, have a bath, walk around the block. This will help you to focus when you come back to the revision.
• TRY NOT TO MISS MEALS. Taking time out for food will help keep you on top of things.
• EXERCISE AND SPORTS can help to relieve stress and will increase your energy.
• GET SOME SLEEP. If you are suffering from insomnia you will feel tired and irritable. It can be reduced if you avoid drinks with a high caffeine content. Instead of coffee, tea and cola late into the
  night choose water or hot milky drinks.
• SHOUT for help if you need it. There are plenty of people around to help you when the going is hard.

At exam time:

Everyone panics at exam time (even those who say they don't!). Going into one exam still stressed from the last will not help. Go over the positive bits of the last exam and reassure yourself of the strengths you have. Think about what you will do after it is over. Here are a few practical suggestions:

• WRITE DOWN THE DATES AND TIMES OF EACH EXAM and tick them off when they are finished. You will feel a sense of achievement every time an exam is over.
• BREAK UP THE TIME BETWEEN EACH ONE. Mix in the things you like doing with organising your revision time; go shopping and treat yourself, go to the cinema or rent videos, have quiet nights in with friends, get take aways and wind down.
• HAVE SMALL CELEBRATIONS each time an exam is over but save the big party until they are all behind you.

Assistance from ChildLine

Exam time is the most stressful period for young people, and with the exam timetable already mapped out your child could be really feeling the pressure. You can't force your child to talk to you, but there are still things you can do to make sure they don't feel alone with their problems.

Listen to this exclusive podcast offering advice for young people about how to cope, featuring Ben Thompson from Coronation Street.

After the exams are over:

Give yourself time to relax and get over the exams. Forget about them for as long as you can. Waiting for the results to arrive can also be a stressful time.

If you have been successful, well done. But if you have not done so well, don't panic. There are lots of options. You may be disappointed and find it difficult to think about what to do next. There are lots of people around to help make the decisions with you. You may choose to retake some of the exams, or perhaps take a year out and come back to your studies later.

Don't keep your worries to yourself. Talk to your parents, teachers or friends about how you feel. Childline offers help at exam time and you can write to or telephone them at any time. They also have web pages dedicated to helping you through your exams.

Need more information? Read some Top Tips about What next after GCSEs >>