How to Manage Stress During Exam Season
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Exam season is a highly stressful time for students in high school. Students often find themselves overwhelmed with school work and test preparation. During these moments, it is essential to remember and use strategies to help cope with these natural emotions.
Creating a study plan can help students who suffer from procrastination and cramming at the last minute. Planning reduces anxiety by setting realistic steps and goals for the student to achieve incrementally instead of doing the assignment all in one night. Methods such as notecards, study guides and practice problems can heavily support students' learning.
Though timed exams can be daunting, taking practice tests under similar conditions can ease stress since you are already familiar with pacing. Standardized tests like the ACT or SAT rely on the student to be able to complete the test in time and know its content to do well. Practicing with the proper allocated time on your own can improve your scores and comfortability levels.
Sleeping plenty at night will improve a student’s performance and work efficiency during the day. When students are tired, they often turn to caffeinated drinks to help them stay awake and alert, which can lead to having more anxiety and stress in the long term. Having at least seven to nine hours of sleep at night will significantly improve your overall well-being and health while tackling these exams and during long days or nights of studying.
Adopting a negative mindset when studying challenging concepts and subjects is easy. In many cases, students constantly compare themselves to their classmates in academic settings. It is important to stay positive and confident when you find yourself judging how you perform alongside others.
Making a step-by-step plan for the actual date of the exam can also be a useful strategy for students. Quickly making a checklist for the items you might need for the test, like a calculator or writing utility, can ease the worry of forgetting something.
During exam season, students must remember to always put their mental health and self-worth before a score. Managing stress is an essential tool for all students during overwhelming times.
