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Exam Stress
Is it a good thing or a bad thing?
We respond to exams in different ways: Some of us thrive on them. Others take them more or less in their stride but get a bit stressed in the last couple of weeks. We may worry about exams for weeks beforehand and get so stressed we find it hard to switch off. We may become so anxious we cant study at all, find it hard to concentrate on anything and have difficulty in getting to sleep. If there are other problems, worry about exams may make them seem worse.
A moderate amount of stress may not be a bad thing. It can sharpen concentration and performance and help to create the additional energy and momentum we need to keep studying when we would rather be doing something else. Too much stress, however, can be overwhelming and stop us from being able to study and get on with life.
What is stress?
Stress is part of the bodys natural response to a perceived threat. We all experience it from time to time. When we feel under threat, our bodies go into fight or flight response, in other words they prepare us either to stand and do battle or to run away. The main physiological change is the release of a rush of adrenaline, which gives us the energy to act. If the perceived difficulty is not physical but psychological, the adrenaline is not used up and we may experience any of the following reactions: increased muscle tension increased heart rate increased breathing rate increase in alertness to the slightest touch or sound
For example some people might think: If I dont get a 1st, 2:1, 2:2.... other people will think badly of me. I wont get a good job my future is over I will be a complete failure people will think I am stupid / worthless / lazy I will be letting down my parents ... and so on. Undoubtedly it would be disappointing if you do not do as well as you hoped. The chances are, however, that it will not be as catastrophic as any of the above thoughts suggest. It is helpful to challenge these thoughts with a more realistic assessment of the situation. Since this may be difficult to do on your own you may need to enlist the help of a friend or someone else in the University to help you to do this. It is very common to think that we will be judged solely on our achievements rather than as individuals with contributions to make in all sorts of ways. If this is the case then the fear of failure will be very powerful. If someone believes that her or his self-worth depends on academic achievement, then it is likely that there will be considerable anxiety surrounding any academic assessment. Too much anxiety can be paralysing. If the pressures to succeed from family or others back home are extremely high, or if you are putting a lot of pressure on yourself to succeed, it may help to talk this over with, for example, your personal tutor, or someone at the University Counselling Service.
Sleep Get as much rest as you can; six to eight hours a night are recommended. Try not to worry too much if you have difficulty in sleeping. So long as your body is resting you will still obtain benefit. It is possible to function even if sleep is disturbed for quite long periods, though this may not be at your absolute peak of performance. Dont study right up to the time you go to bed. You need time to switch off. Study patterns Take regular breaks from studying. Few people can concentrate for hours at a stretch and if you spend weeks doing nothing but eating, sleeping and studying you will be likely not only to feel miserable but also to increase your level of stress which may well make it harder to sleep and concentrate. If you are having a problem concentrating, dont make yourself sit at the desk for hours while your mind is wandering elsewhere. Instead, when you notice that you are distracted, get up and take a break. If this happens repeatedly, try studying in very short bursts of time, bringing down the time you set until it is manageable, for example, 15 minutes at a time and then building it up again slowly. Fifteen minutes when you can concentrate is better than 3 hours of staring into space and feeling guilty or anxious.
Study skills Effective study skills can reduce stress by making you feel more in control of your work. It is not always necessary to cover every aspect of the module in detail. Study advice and support is available either from your course tutor or from the Learning Support Unit, which can also offer help with specific problems such as dyslexia. Breathing exercises If you notice that you are starting to feel very stressed, there are some simple breathing exercises that can help to calm you down. Most work on the principle of focussing your attention on counting breaths. For example: Breathe in to the count of 5, hold for 4 and then breathe out again to a count of 6. Do this a number of times. Breathing exercises are particularly useful because you can do them in public and no-one will notice, for example, when you are waiting to go into the exam, or in the exam room itself.
Recommended reading:
Passing Exams Without Anxiety by David Acres How To Books, 1998.
Managing stress:
The University Counselling Service can offer individual sessions to discuss concerns and also, workshops on managing stress.
Contact Details
Study Support Centre A 85 Ground Floor, Trent Building Telephone (0115) 951 3710 Internal 13710 Open 10.00 - 5.00 Monday to Friday Telephone or call in to make an appointment
University Counselling Service Block D, Cherry Tree Buildings Telephone (0115) 951 3695 Internal 13695 Open 9.00 - 1.00 and 2.00 - 4.45 Monday to Friday Telephone or call in to make an appointment
University Counselling Service University of Nottingham Block D Cherry Tree Buildings University Park Nottingham NG7 2RD
Produced with financial support from the Higher Education Funding Council for England
Acknowledgements: The Educational Development and Support Centre at Leicester University has generously given permission for adapted extracts from their Student Study Guide on Exam Stress to be included in this leaflet.
Cartoons by Maggie Guillon Cartoons by Maggie Guillon University of Nottingham University of Nottingham
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