Has it ever happened to you that you have been preparing for an exam for weeks and when the big day arrives you go blank? It is common to find ourselves in this situation, due to the nerves we feel when taking an exam. Suddenly our heart rate accelerates, it is difficult for us to sleep, we cannot concentrate, our appetite disappears… However, we cannot let nerves and anxiety take over the situation and prevent us from proving to ourselves that we have prepared well. to pass this test. If you often encounter this situation, continue reading this Psychology-Online article, where we will explain how to calm your nerves before an exam with 10 effective tricks.
Nervous before exams
You’ve been studying for the big exam for several days, months preparing for competitive exams, weeks practicing your driving license… and you feel prepared! However, when the time comes, you start to get nervous, your pulse trembles, you really want to go to the bathroom, you start to sweat, you forget everything you took for granted that you knew,… don’t worry, it’s normal. This anxiety and stress you feel is naturalbut we must not let it go against us, since these nerves can play tricks on us in the exam.
How to calm your nerves during an exam
How not to get nervous in an exam? How to calm your nerves before a driving test? We can learn to control the situation so that it does not overwhelm us and cause all our effort in studying for the exam to have been in vain, because our own nerves have conditioned us. Let’s see 10 tricks to manage these situations!
1. Establish a routine
In the days before the exam it is very important to establish a routine, maintaining daily schedules and trying to follow them as much as possible. The exam is a stressor in itself and if we also add a routine full of changes, new stressors may arise that add to the main one. It is important to keep your mind clear and clear, so try to establish a routine the days before that allows you to concentrate on the exam. The routine will allow you to feel feelings of securitywhich will considerably reduce exam nerves.
2. Study partners
Be careful with the study partners you choose. Especially in the days before the exam, it is very important to surround yourself with colleagues who exude positive emotions and security. Emotions and sensations are contagious and it is not appropriate for them to transmit more insecurities, nerves or negativity to us. Let the positive emotions of your colleagues be transmitted to you.
It is also important to consider what relationships you have before an exam. There are two types of people who act differently when faced with an exam: those who take the opportunity to do the last review of the syllabus and study what they still don’t know and those who prefer to communicate with their classmates about anything, except about the exam. Discover which option benefits you the most and put it into practice.
3. Punctuality
There is nothing more stressful on the day of an exam than leaving home and missing the train, encountering more traffic than usual, finding a lane closed for construction, not having gas in the car, leaving your mobile phone at home,… there are many circumstances that are beyond our control that can cause us to be late for the exam, which cause us a lot of stress and anguish. To avoid it, leave home before the usual timebecause if you encounter an unforeseen event, do not condition your mental state of calm before the exam.
4. Breathing techniques
Well, we can try to control external factors, leaving home early, establishing a routine, selecting the right study partners,… but what if we still get nervous when we get to the exam? How do we not get nervous in the exam? A good solution to reduce nerves at the time of the exam is perform a breathing technique. Breathing techniques can be done anywhere, they are simple and quick to do and will help you calm those nerves. A piece of advice, breathing exercises are very useful, but each person must Choose the exercise that works best for you and you must learn to master it, which is why we advise you to practice the exercise a few days before the exam, so that on the day of the exam it works at its full effectiveness. In the following article they are explained step by step.
5. Avoid stimulants
Although you may think that drinking more cups of coffee than necessary the night before to study and stay awake may be beneficial, it can have the opposite effect. The most important thing is to go to the exam rested.with a clear and awake mind, and an excess of stimulating drinks such as coffee can prevent a restful sleep the night before the exam.
On the other hand, coffee or tobacco, which are socially associated with components that help us relax, in reality are stimulating elements, which can promote the increase of nerves, so do not abuse them before the exam, as they can have the opposite effect than what you expect. On the contrary, you can benefit from .
6. Confidence and motivation
All the measures you can choose to reduce anxiety before the exam will not be enough if you lose confidence in yourself. Believe in your abilities, believe that you can pass the test and believe in yourself, will be your greatest asset. Your thoughts can be your best allies, but also your worst enemies. Radiate your entire mind with positive thoughts, trust your potentials and let your motivation increase.
7. Natural remedies
If the previous measures have not been sufficient, they can always be complemented with natural remedies that help us lower anxiety levels. What to take to relax before an exam? There are numerous 100% natural remedies like lime blossom or valerian which are very effective in reducing nerves. As for pills for exam nerves, they will be used if prescribed by a doctor.
8. Distance yourself from the situation
Sometimes, even if we apply all possible measures to reduce exam nerves, they are not enough, since they are all designed to think about the exam. In these circumstances, it is advisable to distance yourself from the situation, not by studying more hours we will be more effective, when the nerves invade you do those activities that you likeyou should not put them aside because you are in the exam period, allow yourself some time for yourself and do some activity that allows you to clear your mind.
9. Learn to forgive yourself and recognize your achievements
If we constantly hold ourselves to the thought that we may fail the exam, we add unnecessary pressure to the nerves we feel before the exam. Recognize the effort you have made studying for the exam, the sacrifices you have made to be able to prepare for it as best as you could and congratulate yourself for it, and in the same way, if you think that you have not dedicated the time you should have dedicated to it, do not beat yourself up. , take it as a lesson for the next exam. Now you are at this point, Faced with your achievements and failures, accept them in their entirety and free yourself from these additional pressures.
10. Benefit from stress
In these cases, stress can be our biggest enemy, stress can cause our nerves to increase and we become blocked when it comes to studying. Against, we can use stress to our advantagestress is a mobilizer and activator, instead of reacting to it with regrets, adopt an active position, allow stress to remind you that the exam is approaching and that you must start studying and with this you will prevent stress from dominating you, causing that you lose control of the situation and prevent you from studying.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
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Bibliography
- Álvarez, J., Aguilar, JM, & Lorenzo, JJ (2017). Exam Anxiety in University Students: Relationships with personal and academic variables. Electronic Journal of Research in Educational Psychology, 10(26), 333-354.
- Álvarez Hernández, J., Aguilar Parra, JM, Fernández Campoy, JM, Salguero García, D., & Pérez-Gallardo, ER (2013). Exam stress in university students. Intervention proposal.
- Bausela Herreras, E. (2005). Exam anxiety: evaluation and psychopedagogical intervention. Educere, 9(31), 553-557.
- Grandis, A. M. (2009). Assessment of anxiety regarding university exams.