How to deal with exam fear?
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Students are worried about the same fears before the exam: too much work, I won’t have time, I don’t understand the topic and I won’t be able to prepare, I teach and repeat, but nothing fits in my head. In the article, we will analyze each fear in more detail and tell you how to overcome fear and anxiety.
Fear 1. I won’t be able to learn so many questions
A large amount of work is intimidating. To reduce anxiety, break down a large task into smaller ones. Let’s compare the exam to a huge pizza, your goal is to eat all the pieces. It’s definitely scary. But imagine that you only need to eat a piece, this task seems already real and not so difficult. Consuming one ticket after another, you can gradually master all the material. Calculate how much time you have to prepare, schedule when you will learn tickets, and distribute topic blocks by day. Clear planning helps to get rid of fear and better prepare for the exam.
Fear 2. I repeat but I can’t remember anything
Often, students read the text, highlight the main thing, draw diagrams, make cards, but this does not always help to remember the material well. Try to take a test after studying each topic, the spaced repetition method can also help. You can learn more about the method from our previous article.
Fear 3. I’m worried, there’s only one day left
The day before the exam, it’s best to relax, unwind and reset your brain. Tune in to the best, tell yourself that you are well prepared, that you have covered all the topics and that you will be able to answer questions. If the tension does not subside, re-read the tickets. This way you will make sure that you are really ready.
Fear 4. The morning before the exam, I’m worried
Focus on your daily activities: have breakfast, pack your backpack, prepare your clothes. Repeat the questions you are unsure about to feel more confident. Think about the fact that you have already written tests and passed other exams. Everything went well last time, so today you will get a good grade.
Fear 5. I can’t focus on questions
Stress can make it seem like you don’t remember anything at first. But do not panic, look at the questions and start answering the simplest ones. This way you can relax and deal with anxiety. If the exam is oral, then write out the answer plan on the sheet to organize your thoughts and not get confused in the information.
Breathing will help relieve stress before the exam and stop being afraid. Close your eyes, start breathing deeply and slowly, after a few breaths you will feel relaxation and anxiety reduction. You can learn even more useful stress relief techniques from the free online course “Stress Management”. You will understand what stress is and how it occurs, what rules you need to follow in order to get rid of overwhelming fear.
We asked Smorodina Mira, the winner of the competition “Teacher of the Future. Students”, a history teacher and a teacher of additional education of the MAOU “School No. 22”, Rostov-on-Don, to share recommendations on how else you can prepare for the exam.
“From the practice of my graduates, I can say that pair work has become one of the most effective ways to prepare for exams. And this means not only learning material together or going to classes, but also providing moral support to each other, motivating, empathizing.
You often need to talk to someone in your own, understandable language, and it may not always be a parent or teacher for a number of reasons.
It’s also important to build positive relationships with the teachers you’re taking. It is their timely advice that will help you adjust your personal trajectory of preparing for an exam or solve a specific question on a topic that is difficult for you.
We also asked Ainur Beketov, a teacher of Russian, a 2nd year student of the Moscow State Pedagogical University, how to reduce anxiety before the exam.
“Think of any exam as a game with its own requirements, rules and subtleties. And don’t forget to read them before you start playing. At the Unified State Examination in Russian, for example, it is very important to know how many answers can be in a particular task and for which you can be deducted points in an essay. Agree, when we know what awaits us and what is required of us, it becomes easier to build a preparation strategy, we can easily separate the secondary from the main. Before the exam at the university, we always turned to undergraduates and asked them about what questions the teacher might ask, worked them out carefully and were sure of a good result.
