Exam Anxiety QUEST

Myth: Exams are unfair and a waste of time

Reality: There often seems to be a bit of talk about whether exams are useful and whether they are overused as a form of assessment. While there may be some truth to this in some cases, getting caught up in this way of thinking may not be helpful in letting you prepare for your study. Trying to use alternative thinking may be helpful, for example consider how they help you demonstrate an ability to retrieve and apply knowledge quickly and efficiently, and that this is a necessary life skill.

Myth: Exams are pointless in the age of the internet

Reality: Research shows that without field knowledge it is very hard to access accurate information online. Additionally, pre-existing knowledge is important because it helps us interpret new information and engage in problem solving and critical thinking.

Myth: I should study a lot the night before the exam, as this will help me to remember it the next day

Reality: Cramming is actually an ineffective way to study, as this information will only be stored in your short term memory, which is very brief. The information that you have crammed will be forgotten before your exam the next day. Additionally, cramming can cause you to have a poor night’s sleep if you stay up late studying, and this will also have a negative impact on your exam performance.

It’s natural to feel some degree of anxiety, stress or apprehension about exams.

The challenge is to manage your arousal level successfully and optimise your performance. Some arousal can help you perform better: your thinking is sharp, you’re focused and alert, and your mind is able to work quickly. Too much arousal and you can “go blank”, “freeze”, and “panic”, forget things, make mistakes and not be able to concentrate or recall information. You may even feel sick in the stomach and your heart may be pounding.

To assist in managing these reactions successfully, you may need to look at the problem from different angles. The information and the knowledge is there, if you have prepared for the exam. You just need to calm down.

What is stress?

Stress is the normal response your body has to change. It is when your brain and body react to an external stimulus. Stress plays a very important part in survival. We need it to help keep us alive and safe, and to motivate us towards our goals.

Sometimes our brain misinterprets safe situations, such as an exam, as dangerous, and will set off a false alarm. This then triggers the release of a series of stress chemicals to be released into our bodies, creating symptoms such as:

• Increased heart rate
• Dry mouth
• Trouble concentrating
• Poor memory
• Sweating
• Shaking hands
• Headache

Video: Managing Stress

Stress is a way of our body responding to something that we need to be alert for and is known as a physiological response. Some of you might have heard of this as the fight or flight response.

This response is when our body produces chemicals, such as adrenaline and cortisol, to get us ready for dealing with what is causing the stress. This response gets our body into the right place to deal with the urgency of the stress. This is an excellent system to utilise when under attack from a bear in the woods, but not so much when trying to sit for an exam. We need the extra blood flow to be focused in our thinking brains, so that we can recall what we have been studying!

Stress can also sometimes lead us to engage in unhelpful thinking styles, alter our emotions or lead us towards unhelpful behaviours. We can then enter into what is known as the stress response cycle, where our own responses to stress, and our bodies stress hormones serve to keep the stress going.

When we are stressed and anxious we often feel this in our body and this limits how well we can cope in the situation. If we think about the way our brain is structured this makes sense. We have different parts of our brain and if our brain is focusing on basic functions like breathing, pumping blood or responding to danger, then it is really hard for our brain to do higher level cognitive functioning such as thinking, planning and engaging meaningful action.

Video: The Three Main Parts of Your Brain

Because we are all individuals, we often have different things that cause us stress and different ways we will respond to those stressors. Knowing what our stress points are can be really helpful in getting ourselves ready to manage some stress. We know that most people feel some degree of stress or anxiety around exams.

As we have discussed already this makes perfect neurological sense and is due to fight or flight response kicking in. But what we know is that this fight or flight response may not be helpful in situations such as sitting down to study or walking into an exam room. However it is possible for you to make your brain work better for you in times of stress. The University of Newcastle Counselling and Psychological Services have even put together this great video to help you get the most out of your brain.

Video: How do you learn best?

But because we are individual and have different things that cause us stress, we also all respond to stress differently, and have different thresholds that will move stress out of the helpful “eustress” range and into the unhelpful “distress” area.

Being prepared for exams is essential. You are more likely to feel stressed and overwhelmed if you have not set aside the time to review your studies. You might find our tip sheet on Exam Anxiety helpful as you prepare for exams. Keeping anxiety in check can go a long way towards keeping your exam stress in check in the lead up to your exam and on the day of the exam. Information includes exam preparation, setting goals, planning your exam timetable, different types of exams and how to study for them, preparation immediately prior to the exam, exam technique and reviewing your outcome.

But being prepared for exams doesn’t just mean knowing your content and having the practical stuff in check. It can also be related to knowing those things about how you respond to stress and can manage to keep functioning in a positive and productive way whether you are getting ready for an exam or actually in the process of writing your exam paper. If you know that this is one of your stress points then there are ways you can prepare yourself for facing stress.

Video: How to stay calm when you know you’ll be stressed

Some General Tips to Manage Stress in the Lead Up to Exams

1. Teach yourself to consciously relax. It’s physiologically impossible to have a stressed mind if your body is relaxed. Try out different types of relaxation and meditation.
2. Learn to focus: Each day take a few minutes to focus your attention on a specific object. Concentrate your attention on this. When distracting thoughts occur, take your attention to your object and its particular sight, sound, touch etc. The idea is to calm your mind by occupying it with a particular sensory sensation. When in the exam room, use this technique by focusing on the wood of your desk or a pen to regain your focus.
3. Self-care: Focusing on self-care before exams can be an important aspect of preparation for the big day. Making time every day to participate in a self-care activity, such as going for a walk, talking to friends or listening to music can be helpful as a preventative measure to stress.
4. Exercise: reduces our bodies’ stress reaction. Research links a healthy body with a healthy mind. Study is usually a sedentary activity and needs to be combined with periods of physical movement. A brisk walk will aid concentration. More demanding activity and physical exertion are vital 3- 4 times per week. This increased blood flow assists memory.
5. Sleep: A healthy sleep routine also supports improved memory and concentration. Research indicates that 6-8 hours sleep produces the best improvements in cognitive abilities. Our mind is working during sleep. Sleep is very restorative. Compromising healthy sleep patterns during exam times is rarely helpful. A “cat nap” during intense study periods, or meditation, yoga nidra or some other relaxation technique can also assist memory and concentration.
6. Leisure: Maintaining some enjoyable activities during intense study periods can greatly aid the effectiveness of your study.
7. Diet: The brain uses up a lot of energy. The better the fuel you put in, the better your performance. A healthy balanced diet including proteins, grains, fresh fruit and vegetables etc. helps. If you are stressed and find it difficult to eat, try fruit smoothies, fruit, nuts or eating small, frequent meals.
8. Get organised: Organise your study space. An organised space creates an organised mind. Know your exam location. If you are unsure where a room or building is, make sure you leave enough time in the morning to find it. Or, take some time in the days before your exam to find the room. Check out a campus map to help or work out where your exam room is located by taking a walk. Making sure that you are well prepared is one way to help manage exam stress. Like most things in life, study is most effective when we focus on revision, rather than trying to cram at the last minute.

Video: This is a great example of why consistency leads to success.

Some Simple Exercises to Help Reduce Stress and Promote Success

1. Visualise what it would be like to succeed: Create detailed pictures in your mind of how you will successfully manage the exam situation.
2. Abdominal Breathing: With feet flat on the floor and sitting comfortably in your chair, close your eyes and focus on your breath – breathing in and breathing out – following the breath, noticing its effects on the body (rising chest, rising abdomen, falling abdomen, falling chest….). Focus your attention on your abdomen rising as you breathe in and falling as you breathe out. If your attention wanders off elsewhere, bring it back to your breathing and the rise and fall of your abdomen. Techniques such as 4-7-8 breathing, can be useful both in preparation for exams and throughout. This helps to re-direct blood flow away from survival mode, and back towards our thinking brain.
3. Heart Focused Breathing: Focus your attention in the area of your heart, feel your attention there. Imagine breathing in and out through your heart. Whilst maintaining heart focus and heart breathing, try to slow and deepen your breathing e.g. 1 2 3 4 in & 1 2 3 4 out - breathing in and out to the same count. Imagine your breath coming in and out from your heart area, deeply but easily and evenly. Now it’s time to ease into a positive feeling. Try to feel a positive feeling: care for someone, appreciation of good things in your life or an uplifting experience. Ease into that positive feeling as you maintain a heart focus and heart breathing. Research has shown that this process can have a good calming effect and increase our ability to learn.
4. Over-energy correction: Cross your left ankle over your right ankle, your right arm over your left arm with palms facing. Clasp your palms together and bring your hands up and under to rest on your heart. The tip of your tongue will be resting behind the top teeth. Roll the tip of the tongue so that the underneath of the tip is resting on the top teeth. Breathe. Hold for a few minutes until you take a sigh or deep breath or feel a shift in your energy. Relax. If you have trouble keeping your tongue on the roof of your mouth, drop the tongue as you breathe out and bring it up to the roof as you breathe in. This process can be calming.
5. Self-talk: Keeping check of our self-talk, such as “I can’t do this.” And trying to be more realistic or positive, such as “I don’t have to know everything. More will come to me as I keep going.” will assist with reducing unnecessary pressure on yourself.

Video: All it Takes is 10 Mindful Minutes

Grounding techniques such as dropping anchor are quick and easy mindfulness strategies to help you stay calm and reduce stress in an exam. Many of them are quick to use and some can be used no matter where you are or why you are stressed. Perfect for exams! Here is a list of a few that you might find useful;

• Counting from 1-10 and then reversing from 10-1
• Using a grounding phase like “I’m ok” or “stay calm”
• Focus on your breath. Inhale for a count of six and then exhale to a count of four
• Connect with your senses – name 3 things you can see, hear, smell and touch.
• Visualise yourself walking along a beach and watching the waves break on the shore or sitting under a tree watching the wind gently blow the branches above you back and forth.
• Notice the things around you; what do you see? hear? smell?
• Press your feet on the ground
• Take a sip of water. Notice the weight of the bottle in your hand and the sensation of the water in your mouth.

Exam Time – What to do the night before, and the day of your exam

So it’s almost time for your exam. Here are some of our final tips to help you in this time:

1. The Night Before

• Get enough sleep (6-9 hours, but 8 is ideal).
• Eat well. Focus on nutrient dense whole foods, proteins and complex carbohydrates. Cut back on alcohol, sugar and fatty foods.
• Drink water. Hydration is key.
• Prepare your exam materials. Have your memory aid, student card, pens, and anything else you may need prepared the night before the exam.

2. Exam day

• Eat breakfast. You’ll perform better!
• Give yourself lots of time to get to the venue. Arrive early.
• If you have an afternoon exam, do some exercise in the morning. Go for a walk.
• Know yourself: Some people enjoy waiting out the front of the exam room, discussing potential questions with classmates. Other people can find this situation anxiety inducing. Know what works for you, and plan in advance so you don’t find yourself in a stressful situation.

3. In the exam:

• Take some time at the beginning to plan or simply go over the entire exam so that there’s no surprises.
• Manage your time and keep an eye on how you are tracking.
• Don’t panic – if you get stuck, move on and come back.
• Take a deep breath every five questions. Stretch.
• Smile when you finish. You did it!

4. After care:

• Take a deep breath and let it go.
• Go out with friends or family.
• Watch your favourite show or movie.
• Enjoy a treat.
• Go to the beach.

Videos:

This 15 minute webinar from the University's Counselling and Psychological Support staff outlines 5 ways to reduce the impact of stress in your life.

Workshops:

The University's Academic Learning Support team runs workshops on a range of topics, such as time management, study skill development and academic writing support. They also offer one-to-one consults for assessment support.

Counselling and Psychological Services at the university regularly run workshops, both face to face and online webinars, with more tips on topics such as Exam Anxiety and Beating Procrastination. Check out the Counselling for the current workshop timetable and register.

Online Resources:

• Quizlet: This website allows you to create and study flashcards. You can also view a number of already created flashcards
• University of Newcastle Library Guides – Exams: This guide provides information about preparing for exams.
• Student Wellbeing - tipsheets on Exam Anxiety and Memory and Study provide information about improving your functioning to get great exam results.
• ReachOut has some great idea on how to manage exam stress so you can feel better and study smarter.

Apps:

• Smiling Mind contains guided mindfulness activities that you can do no matter where you are via your phone or device. 3 million downloads can’t be wrong!
• Calm provides options for calming yourself to reduce stress, improve sleep and engage in mindful movement.
• Headspace offers an introduction to mindfulness meditation to allow you to tune into your thoughts more effectively to manage stress.
• Breathe2Relax – Guided practice to help you slow down your breathing and keep your fight or flight response in check!
• My Study Life is a study planner that integrates all areas of academic life. Designed specifically to make study life easier to manage.
• Be Focused helps you to get things done by breaking down tasks into separate intervals with short breaks. It’s an effective way to retain focus and motivation.
• Done: A Simple Habit Tracker helps you keep track of and achieve your goals by tracking progress and motivating you with winning streaks!
• Recharge provides assistance with developing a routine to optimise your functioning.

More Videos:

Video: Test Anxiety (8 minutes)

Video: How to Make Stress Your Friend

• The University's After-hours support line – talk to a counsellor outside of office hours. Ph: 1300 653 007 or SMS: 0488 884 165.
• See a University Counsellor or Wellbeing advisor for a free and confidential appointment – online or face to face counselling available.

UPDATED MARCH 2022

Contact: onlinecounselling@newcastle.edu.au