Exam stress

[teddybear2020]

Anyone know any techniques to reduce exam stress. Really struggling with the anxiety at the moment, have my first gcse very soon. I am currently on a high dose of sertraline for anxiety and depression doesn't seem to be helping much though. Any advice?

I'm going to assume you are 15/16.

First. Well done for asking for help.

These are the things I did/said with DD1 when she did her GCSEs 4 years ago.

1. Remember it's not the end of the world if you don't get your target grades. There are other routes and paths in life.
2. You can only do the best you can.
3. It is really important to take time off revising and get exercise & fresh air. With DD1 we went for a walk every afternoon (she took 1pm-4pm off every day).
4. Make a sensible revision schedule that is achievable, leaves time for relaxing, socialising etc, but that still gets the work done - and then try to stick to it. Make sure it includes breaks.
5. If you have prepared well then the exams will be what they will be. You can't control them. You may be lucky or unlucky with the questions, but you can't control it.
6. Talk to your parent(s), what can they do to help ease the stress you are feeling.
7. You aren't alone. Teenagers up and down the country have been doing exams for decades. They coped and so can you.
8. Don't talk to friends about how much revision they are doing - one of you will end up feeling bad.
9. If you are aiming for 8/9s, it won't be the end of the world if you end up with 5/6s. Life will go on. Similarly if you are aiming for 4s and end up with 2/3s there will be options for you.

None of this is worth risking your health over.

My DD did her revision in chunks of about 40 minutes. She made sure she went out for walks, swimming, took short breaks to play/listen to music.
She made revision cards with key words for each topic and stuck them on her wall/mirror.
Getting enough food and sleep is very important.
Vitamin supplements can help if your diet isn't great - especially B group and D.
Practice papers are very helpful if you have any.

Thank you so much for your advice, really helpful will take on board:))

Great advice given by the previous posters, so all I'll add is that if you're anxious, it suggests you're a conscience student, which is half the battle - my guess is that you are doing better than you think you are.

Look after yourself, listen to what your brain is telling you when you feel stressed - stop and take a breather, rather than ploughing on.

Good luck!

@Alsoplayspiccolo
Thank you so much so kind of you x

The other thing DD said to me was that she just did "enough".
Some of her friends seemed to be holed up for hours, but didn't work efficiently. Forty minutes of good concentration followed by a short break is much more effective than spending ages staring at the books with nothing going in.
I took from that, that she figured out exactly what was required; practiced some answers for each topic, then moved on.
Making a list of what you are going to study each day, then ticking things off, helps you feel in control and organised. Stress is often about not feeling in control.

teddy bear, you are very welcome. I have a 15 year old daughter, who has her first GCSE in 3 weeks, so you have all my support.
You can do this! Just don't break yourself trying and be kind to yourself. Anxiety isn't fun and trying to fight it just increases it. Accept it, go with it and you'll be fine.x

Previous advice re study approaches etc is very good.

When you are studying, use past papers. You can do individual questions when studying a specific topic to reinforce your learning but it is also really important to do full papers as that is what you will be faced with. Make sure you go back over your answers using the marking scheme and if you missed out anything or answered anything incorrectly, go back over it again.

I would also recommend anti-stress aromatherapy. Tisserand and Boots (both available in Boots) have roll-on ones that you just roll onto your pulse points. Most of my dd's class is also using rescue remedy.

I second getting some de-stressing essential oils. My DD16 is taking her GCSEs this year and we have used these to create a calm atmosphere when she is studying. She also likes to listen to music while studying, there are some great playlists out there for music to study to, give it a try.

DD also like to vary her study locations, so she has been out to local libraries to study for a few hours to break it up a bit.

Hope you find some ways to de-stress, please remember you can only do your best

@MrsChollySawcutt - She also likes to listen to music while studying, there are some great playlists out there for music to study to, give it a try.

I really would not recommend listening to music when you are studying. Not because it will necessarily interfere with your ability to learn (music without lyrics won't) but because the closer your study environment is to your test environment, the better.

We remember information better if the context we learned in is as similar as possible to the context we try to remember in. So study in a quiet environment, even better if there are some other people around, also being quiet, so the library is a good idea. Alternatively, studying at home is good but don't insist on absolute silence as there will be background noise in the exam centre.

Personal context is also important. So try and be pretty steady in terms of sleep, exercise etc.

🙄

@MrsChollySawcutt - I'm not sure what your emoji means but think it means you're not happy with my post? I'm only trying to be helpful so I'm sorry if I offended you.

Dd is taking A levels and has taken up running as a way of taking a break and getting fresh air. She is not particularly sporty but following the Couch to 5k programme. Might something similar work for you? Running, walking, dancing, yoga etc or even gardening or baking.

Thank you so much for all your advice it's so helpful. @LIZS I enjoy walking so I think I might start doing that more often as it's very calming

One of my daughters teachers recommended the Mindfulness app, seems to help.

Went to a meeting in the school about exam stress - interestingly they focused on exam technique and recognising signs of excessive stress but they weren't so good on advising on how to reduce stress when it all proved too much. Sleep, exercise, good food and relaxation time are important...but if you have left it all to the last minute that advice will probably be a bit pointless.

You've had lots of good advice on here but I wouldn't rule out music - my DD2 is 16 and doing GCSEs this year, and she has particular tracks she uses with particular subjects. She uses the music to create associations and when she then does practice questions without it, it's as if the music is playing in her head and having its calming effect - so in a way it will be with her in the exam hall, helping her focus. For her it's a way of combining revision with meditation. Instrumentals and classical tracks seem to work best for her.

I can't emphasise the importance of downtime enough. Revise in focused chunks, make absolutely sure you get some time not revising every single day. Watch crappy romcoms on Netflix, read a trashy novel, walks outside are great. It's important to rest your brain.

You sound really sensible - good luck, and let us know how you get on!

@pointythings - I wouldn't rule out music - my DD2 is 16 and doing GCSEs this year, and she has particular tracks she uses with particular subjects. She uses the music to create associations and when she then does practice questions without it, it's as if the music is playing in her head and having its calming effect

If you can create the associations and then replay in your head that is great - you're basically creating aural mnemonics as a study aid. Some people can do that pretty naturally, others can learn how to do it.

However, just playing background music, particularly if there are lyrics, is more likely to interfere with memory/recall. So if you do want to use music, ensure that you are using it correctly, rather than just playing music in the background.

I wouldn't rule out music for the OP, because if it reduces anxiety/stress the OP might generally get more work done.

freename I agree it has to be the right kind of music - DD2 uses classical or instrumentals exclusively for studying. She finds lyrics distract her.

This study (and many other studies) demonstrates that recall is better when the information studied is tested under similar conditions — either noisy or quiet. They found there was no overall effect of noise on performance, which supports the claims of many students that background noise does not interfere with their study. However, because of the evidence of context-dependency, students are better off studying without background noise because it will not be present during the test.

@pointythings - it sounds like your dd is effectively recreating the study environment by replaying the music in her head when trying to recall the material in an exam. I would imagine you would have to be pretty musically inclined to do that.

It's great that she can do that, as music does help us to learn due to improving our mood, which helps with memorisation. The problem is the exam system which forces us to replicate our learning in a very artificial environment.

freename my DD has synaesthesia, so the connection between sound and the perception of other senses comes naturally to her anyway - she is unusual in that. She doesn't play an instrument, but she does have the ability to understand the structure of music in an analytical way. It's no coincidence that she is also good at MFL.

I think the message is that all students have to find ways of managing the artificial exam environment that work for them.

@pointythings - I think the message is that all students have to find ways of managing the artificial exam environment that work for them.

Definitely. It sounds like your dd has managed to do just that. It's brilliant that she can use the benefits of learning with music and effectively bring the music into the exam hall with her. It's unfortunate that most people can't do that.

The whole exam process is so artificial and stressful for students. There really must be a better way!