Summary
In this post, Fraser shares some of his experiences of exam anxiety, and how he controls it.
I recall meeting my friend at Waverley on the morning of a second-year Politics exam. He said: “Fraser, are you feeling alright? You look like a ghost.” He was right. But that was only what he saw. Like others, many of the symptoms of exam anxiety I was experiencing that morning were not as easily detectable as my skin colour. I was also nauseated, short of breath and had a rapid heartbeat.
Having these symptoms on the day of the exam itself is bad enough. What’s worse is that they’re often not restricted to that day. I’ve experienced them for up to a week before an exam.
I’ve found a number of things which help to alleviate its effects.
We’re often told that we’re only anxious about exams because we don’t put enough time into preparing for them. On this view, additional study is key to alleviating anxiety. The issue with this is that it fails to acknowledge people like me who experience anxiety but actually over-study: we spend hours on end trying to memorise every last detail in our textbooks, lectures and notes. But the longer we study without taking breaks, the harder it becomes to take in the material we’re reading. And the less we take in, the more anxious we become.
Contrary to some people’s advice, then, I find that reducing the length of study sessions helps to keep my anxiety under control. By taking regular breaks, I feel more productive during study sessions and that I’m making headway with the material, resulting in me feeling more prepared for the exam.
Study scheduling itself isn’t enough for me, though. I also need to escape the house: the more I look at my desk and books, the more intense the anxiety becomes. I find that going out for exercise, whether that be a long walk or a cycle, gives me a feel-good factor and helps to take my mind off things. Also, as people always tell you: “you need a good night’s sleep to function properly.” This is true. And by exercising you can make yourself tired enough to sleep, rather than think about exams, at night.
What I’ve written about thus far is largely concerned with how I control anxiety the week before the exam. So, what do I do on the day itself?
There are three things. Firstly, although I really can’t face it, I force myself to eat breakfast and drink tea. If I didn’t, I’d probably end up having too low energy levels to perform optimally during the exam itself. Secondly, during my commute to university, I listen to up-beat music, such as ‘Here Comes The Sun’ by The Beatles. It can help to lift my mood and keep my mind off study materials: if I were to cram at the last-minute, it would make me even more anxious by highlighting the things that I don’t know very well. Thirdly, I try to control the way I breathe. When we’re anxious, we tend to take shallow breaths, which promote physical discomfort, rapid heartbeat and hyperventilation. So, I do the following: take a long, slow breath in through the nose; hold the breath for a few seconds; exhale slowly through the mouth; and repeat until the physical anxiety effects ease.
Many of us experience exam anxiety. Its effects can be overwhelming. But by trying out some of the ideas I’ve mentioned, you may find yourself better able to control it and having a more pleasant exam experience.
Fraser is a student of Economics and Politics at Edinburgh University. He is in the final year of his degree. He commutes to university from Kirkcaldy, Fife. In his free time, he enjoys walking, cycling, playing badminton, debating and playing bagpipes.
