People have struggled with exams for as long as they have been going but they are even harder to deal with when you are also trying to cope with mental illness, it’s much harder.
Recently, I have had my mock exams for my GCSEs which, honestly, I struggled to cope with. I know that they didn’t really matter that much but they still affected me a lot because I struggle in exams. All of the work I had to do before the exams in preparation, especially revision, caused me great stress because I had so much to do and my motivation and concentration wavered a lot throughout. I struggled to get everything that I needed to do done in time and I felt very lost and consumed by revision. The stress really took its toll on me and I lost my appetite and felt too stressed to eat so I was barely eating anything hence feeling dizzy, sick and faint constantly which wasn’t helped by the fact I was too stressed to sleep! I find exams difficult because I don’t like being stuck in a room for a long time under stress without being able to leave and being with so many people in a small place.
Considering what I was going through, I’m pretty please with my results. I’m going to share the ones I have received so far as I am quite proud of myself for them: Maths – 2 As, Computing – A, Chemistry – A*, Biology – B, Physics – B, Product Design – A*, Geography – A* and Religious Studies – 2 A*s. Quite disappointed with the Bs but they were on particularly hard days for me.
From my experience, I’ve come up with some things to help with exams.
1. Start revision early – make sure that you start revising with months prior to your exams. I did this initially then stopped because my motivation was lacking which I found caused problems when it came round to doing it again because I had left too much to do, too close to my exams. Leaving yourself lots of time to do it means stress is minimised and you’re also as prepared as you can be for your exams. Making a revision timetable will also help you keep on top of it and motivate you to do it.
2. Access Arrangements – if you really think that anxiety might take over during your exams, you can speak to the exams officer or a head of year that can make arrangements. You can be given rest breaks during the exam which allows you to leave for a few minutes before returning to complete the exam. You can also get seating arrangements like by the door or on a row on your own.
3. Tell someone – one thing that really helped me was telling one of the teachers that I wasn’t coping with the exams because I knew that he would always be around to go and chat to when I was feeling very bad. He knows a lot about my anxiety so he knew exactly the right thing to say and do to help. Telling an adult was more helpful for me because they were impartial as most of my friends were doing the exams too so they were feeling similar.
4. Eat well – this was something that could have completely changed my results. You need to make sure you eat regularly to avoid feeling faint or dizzy and because it also hinders your concentration and you have less energy. You also need to eat the correct things like fruit, vegetables and a proper breakfast instead of junk food and energy drinks as they will soon wear off causing a sugar low which leaves you feeling lethargic.
5. Sleep well – I know it’s hard to sleep when you’re stressed and worried about the next day. Don’t stay up all night trying to revise because you’ll be so tired that you won’t remember it anyway. Stop revising half an hour before you intend to go to sleep and just chill with whatever relaxes you until you’re ready to go to sleep.
6. Perspective – you must consider what is achievable for you. How likely is it that you will come out with straight A*s? If it’s not very, don’t expect your results to be so high and don’t be disappointed when they aren’t this.
7. Avoid comparison – I know it’s hard when everyone is coming out of the exam discussing it and comparing answers but try not to compare what you have written to other people. You don’t know if they’re right or not so even if you have got something completely different, you might still be right! Try and take yourself away from the crowds by leaving as soon as possible or going back to lessons if you’re having them still.
Recently, I have had my mock exams for my GCSEs which, honestly, I struggled to cope with. I know that they didn’t really matter that much but they still affected me a lot because I struggle in exams. All of the work I had to do before the exams in preparation, especially revision, caused me great stress because I had so much to do and my motivation and concentration wavered a lot throughout. I struggled to get everything that I needed to do done in time and I felt very lost and consumed by revision. The stress really took its toll on me and I lost my appetite and felt too stressed to eat so I was barely eating anything hence feeling dizzy, sick and faint constantly which wasn’t helped by the fact I was too stressed to sleep! I find exams difficult because I don’t like being stuck in a room for a long time under stress without being able to leave and being with so many people in a small place.
Considering what I was going through, I’m pretty please with my results. I’m going to share the ones I have received so far as I am quite proud of myself for them: Maths – 2 As, Computing – A, Chemistry – A*, Biology – B, Physics – B, Product Design – A*, Geography – A* and Religious Studies – 2 A*s. Quite disappointed with the Bs but they were on particularly hard days for me.
From my experience, I’ve come up with some things to help with exams.
1. Start revision early – make sure that you start revising with months prior to your exams. I did this initially then stopped because my motivation was lacking which I found caused problems when it came round to doing it again because I had left too much to do, too close to my exams. Leaving yourself lots of time to do it means stress is minimised and you’re also as prepared as you can be for your exams. Making a revision timetable will also help you keep on top of it and motivate you to do it.
2. Access Arrangements – if you really think that anxiety might take over during your exams, you can speak to the exams officer or a head of year that can make arrangements. You can be given rest breaks during the exam which allows you to leave for a few minutes before returning to complete the exam. You can also get seating arrangements like by the door or on a row on your own.
3. Tell someone – one thing that really helped me was telling one of the teachers that I wasn’t coping with the exams because I knew that he would always be around to go and chat to when I was feeling very bad. He knows a lot about my anxiety so he knew exactly the right thing to say and do to help. Telling an adult was more helpful for me because they were impartial as most of my friends were doing the exams too so they were feeling similar.
4. Eat well – this was something that could have completely changed my results. You need to make sure you eat regularly to avoid feeling faint or dizzy and because it also hinders your concentration and you have less energy. You also need to eat the correct things like fruit, vegetables and a proper breakfast instead of junk food and energy drinks as they will soon wear off causing a sugar low which leaves you feeling lethargic.
5. Sleep well – I know it’s hard to sleep when you’re stressed and worried about the next day. Don’t stay up all night trying to revise because you’ll be so tired that you won’t remember it anyway. Stop revising half an hour before you intend to go to sleep and just chill with whatever relaxes you until you’re ready to go to sleep.
6. Perspective – you must consider what is achievable for you. How likely is it that you will come out with straight A*s? If it’s not very, don’t expect your results to be so high and don’t be disappointed when they aren’t this.
7. Avoid comparison – I know it’s hard when everyone is coming out of the exam discussing it and comparing answers but try not to compare what you have written to other people. You don’t know if they’re right or not so even if you have got something completely different, you might still be right! Try and take yourself away from the crowds by leaving as soon as possible or going back to lessons if you’re having them still.