Well, it's here ... exam week.
Whether you feel prepared or not, all that matters now is that you stay in good health, develop and keep a positive frame of mind, and make the most of the time between exams to do any last minute study.
Here's some tips for the exam period.
#1: Stay healthy
There's no point studying all night until you're a zombie. Get enough sleep. Eat well. Drink lots of water. Make sure you get out of the house for some fresh air and relaxation. Managing your health is critical over the next couple of weeks so take good care of yourself.
#2: Manage your emotions
Someone once told me that anxiety is simply excitement ... with shallow breathing! Both emotions are responses to some anticipated event in the future and both carry some tension in the body. However when we're anxious we breathe shallower and slower.
Try it next time you're feeling nervous ... First change your posture ... become more upright, pull your shoulders back and focus your eyes up. Take several very deep breathes through your nose and out your mouth. Use this simple technique whenever you find yourself feeling anxious to put yourself in a more useful state of mind.
#3: Develop a positive outlook
We often talk ourselves into fits of panic and nervous energy. But things are rarely as bad as they seem. Instead of focusing on what could go wrong ... focus on what could go right!
Become your own cheerleader. Kick out that little voice telling you the bad news and replace it with your own little raving fan screaming ... YES YOU CAN! .... Seriously, you can.
#4: Use your downtime
There is still plenty of time in between exams to pull something special out of the bag. Get up early. Get focused. Decide on just one section you will focus on and study that. Don't worry about how big the subject might seem. Just do what you can in the time you have available.
# 5: Exam day
Always keep focused on your outcome - a successfully completed exam. Nothing else matters. Manage nerves as I have described, keep up your water intake, use positive self-talk. Get to the exam room well on time but avoid talking to stressed out friends - it's better to avoid their nervous energy and instead stay focused on managing your own state.
# 6: In the exam
I'm sure you've heard this advice before ... it's obvious but important. Read the instructions carefully so that you know exactly what is being asked. Then read each question thoroughly ... underline keywords, spend a short time planning your response.
If you find yourself lost while answering a question then you may need to move on to something else. Don't give up too easy, but don't get too stubborn either.
Always come back to complete questions if you have the time. Never leave an exam early. Use all the available time to attempt all required questions or review and improve your answers.
Finally, don't take it all too seriously. Yes, it's important right now, and yes you should give it your all. But in a few years time you will look back at this period at school and wonder why you were stressed at all.
Have fun!
Kind regards
Geoff Peterson
StudyPass
Growing Minds, PO Box 633, Christchurch, Canterbury 8140, NEW ZEALAND
