Dealing with Exam Stress

Despite knowing about exams from the first day of school, everything seems to arrive all at once. One day, we’re focused on extracurriculars, small assignments, and spending time with friends. The next, our teachers are talking about deadlines, final evaluations, and exams. Suddenly, our calendars are packed, to-do lists seem to have no end, and it feels like there aren’t enough hours in the day.

I always thought exam season stress was normal and that everybody felt overwhelmed, but it seemed like others were handling it better than I was. However, I’ve noticed that stress isn’t always caused by the amount of work we have. Sometimes, it can be caused by the immense pressure we put on ourselves.

Most people care about doing well in school, so when exams approach, we begin to fixate on our grades, expectations, and future goals. While these thoughts can motivate us, they frequently become overwhelming and cause us to set unrealistic expectations for ourselves. One thing I’ve noticed is that stress often builds when focusing on the outcome instead of the process.

I knew something needed to change, so I turned to Google to solve my problems. After scrolling through university and self-help websites, I compiled a list of 5 pieces of advice that helped me the most.

Zindel Segal from University of Toronto Scarborough’s psychology department mentions that the first step to improve stress symptoms is to identify a “personal stress signature.” Stress signatures can be categorized into four primary areas, which are physical signals, emotional signals, cognitive signals, and behavioral signals. Physical signals are where your body holds tension, emotional signals are your immediate mood shifts, cognitive signals are how stress changes your thinking, and behavioral signals are actions you take when overwhelmed.

By identifying my own signature, I was able to identify the sources of my stress directly. I found that I become stressed when I have multiple responsibilities with a short turnaround time.

My thoughts become clouded and filled with self-doubt, leading to headaches, emotional exhaustion, trouble sleeping, and changes in my behavior.  I regain a sense of control by slowing down and focusing on one task at a time, or by taking my mind off my workload.

Segal also emphasizes the importance of self-care and rest. During exam season most people get minimal sleep from staying up late studying. To me, every moment that was not spent studying was a waste of time. I endured many nights of 5–6 hour study sessions in addition to after school classes, and I got less than 6 hours of sleep for weeks on end. Over time, this routine really affected me. I was more irritable and tired during the day, and I slowly found it difficult to focus during class. My sleep deprivation made studying ineffective and wasted a lot of time. When I began incorporating breaks into my schedule and made sure to get at least 6 hours of sleep each night, I found it much easier to study and retain information. By taking meaningful breaks and making sure I was rested throughout exam season, I improved the effectiveness of my studying.

Katherine Tamminen, who was a sports psychology researcher and assistant professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education at the University of Toronto, explained how some of the strategies that athletes use to mitigate stress can be used in exam settings as well. Something she explained that stood out to me was the effect that others’ emotions can have on us. In a study conducted by Dr. Tamminen, she found that shared stress can significantly affect athletes, impacting team dynamics, team performance, and interpersonal conflict. Therefore, avoiding people that make you feel stressed or anxious is vital to preparing and studying before exams. By studying on my own, or with those who keep me calm, greatly improved my focus and anxiety during exam season.

Maintaining organization, creating schedules, and practicing time management skills can be incredibly effective at reducing stress. With what feels like millions of exams and projects during this stressful time, it can feel hard to manage your time and keep track of everything. Even though it might be tedious, creating structured daily schedules and finding ways to organize time wisely can be the difference between a stress-filled exam season and an effective, efficient one. Every day when I got home, I immediately created a schedule with specific times that I could use for the night. This pushed me to finish my work before my set deadlines and helped balance the multiple projects I had to do. By setting strict schedules while I studied, I was able to have more productive study sessions, and get more work done.

Finally, remember to have a positive mindset and celebrate your achievements. While studying and doing projects can seem like a bore, it’s important to have a positive attitude. Whenever you learn a concept, complete a mock test, or finish a project, take the time to celebrate yourself before moving on to the next milestone. This will help you push through challenging moments and remind you how much progress you have made.

We often become fixated on the next test, exam, or deadline, but it’s important we acknowledge everything we have done along the way.

At the end of the day, exam season is never going to be completely stress-free. What matters is learning how to manage stress in healthy ways. Exams only last for a few days or weeks, but the good habits you build to manage your stress can make a significant difference and will help you for years to come. Do your best, trust the effort you put in, and take care of yourself along the way.