How to Survive Exam Season Stress

Top 5 tips to ensure you study smarter instead of harder

Your gloriously long student summer holiday is just around the corner, but before you can relax you’re going to need to get through the dreaded exam season. If the thought of coursework deadlines and test papers sets your heart racing and anxiety levels rising then you’re definitely not alone. But there are plenty of things you can do to help you through to the other side whilst avoiding a meltdown. 

1. Make a Retrospective Timetable

Possibly the most important thing is to create a revision timetable. However, oftentimes its impossible to foreshadow the exact times and days you will feel productive. So instead, we recommend you record each time and what specifically you need to do to study and revise them. Make sure you don’t overpack your schedule and if you need to, plan specific times each day for breaks to relax.

2. Do NOT Multitask

With access to so much entertainment and information, we are often left dividing their focus between more than one task—whether it’s checking social media while studying or trying to complete multiple homework assignments at once. Since you aren’t giving their full attention to their schoolwork, they aren’t as effective at absorbing the information they are studying. Instead, use apps like Pomodoro to maximize productivity during work time, use short breaks to check your phone and save Netflix for the long break. This way you can focus on your work and still remember what happened during your favorite episode of YOU.

3. Limit Distraction, Stop Procrastinating for Good

Although we attempt to ignore the notifications about the cute dogs and your friend's hot Tinder date, it can be extremely tempting to check our phones when they are right beside you. Many smartphones have built-in apps that allow you to limit access to social media apps when its time to do work. Research shows even having your phone beside you can be distracting, so to maximize productivity leave your phone in your bag on vibrate.

4. Prioritize Sleep

It is important for the body and brain to relax and recover from a long day of studying. When you neglect your sleep you will find studying the next day a lot harder as your brain will still be exhausted and can’t process information as well as it normally would. So strive for at least eight hours a night. Use apps like Sleep Cycle to monitor your sleep patterns and ensure you wakeup during lighter phases of the sleep cycle.

5. Don't Neglect Exercise

During the exam period, it is tempting to skip your usual exercise activities in order to maintain your energy and give you more study time. However, scientists argue that exercise is beneficial for brain activity as it promotes blood flow around the body, including in the brain. Considering that exercising can help people avoid dementia, it is clear that a little workout can actually be helpful during exams.