We have all been in this situation: the clock is ticking away the caffeine is not working anymore. The words on the page begin to look as if they are written in a language unfamiliar to us. Our hearts race and our hands become clammy. We have this feeling, that feeling of panic before an exam. This is the response of the body to a situation that is deemed scary or threatening. However, the difference between people who do well and those who do not is not that they are smarter but that they are better at controlling their nerves. Doing well on an exam is not about how much information we can remember; it is about creating a state of mind in which we are able to use that information in the first place.
To stop feeling panicked and start being productive we have to stop reading over our notes and try to really remember the information. Instead of always reading over notes, one should try to recall information from memory and make reviews at different intervals. We should keep testing ourselves. Try to remember things that are a little difficult for us, because when we struggle to remember something, our brain is actually getting stronger. At the time, the physical feeling of panic has to be dealt with. If the brain thinks there is danger present it shuts off the parts of the brain used for thinking and remembering information. There are things that we can do to calm ourselves such as a breathing exercise called 'box breathing which some soldiers use and this can help our brain to feel safe and focused.
Doing well in an exam is really, about being prepared and having the mindset. If we focus on understanding the material of fearing failure, we can feel more in control. We have to remember that an exam is a test of what we know at a certain time it is not a judgment of how smart we are or what we can do in the future. If we have studied hard and can stay calm then we are ready to take the exam and show what we know.
MBH/AB