Managing Exam Anxiety
Managing Exam Anxiety
Some nerves before an exam are perfectly normal — they can even help you perform better. But when anxiety takes over, it helps to have a few strategies in your toolkit.
Prepare, do not cram
Spreading your revision over several weeks is far more effective than an all-nighter. Use active recall and spaced repetition. When you know the material, the anxiety has less to feed on.
Breathing and grounding
Before the exam starts, try box breathing: inhale for four counts, hold for four, exhale for four, hold for four. It activates your parasympathetic nervous system and brings your heart rate down quickly.