How to Calm the Nerves Before an Exam

  • Jul 26, 2021
click fraud protection
How to calm your nerves before an exam

Has it ever happened to you that you have been preparing for an exam for weeks and when the big day arrives you go blank? It is common to find ourselves in this situation, due to the nerves we feel when taking an exam. Suddenly our heartbeats accelerate, we find it difficult to sleep, we cannot concentrate, our appetite quits... However, we cannot let it nerves and anxiety take over the situation and prevent us from showing ourselves that we have prepared well to overcome this proof. If you often find yourself in this situation, keep reading this Psychology-Online article, where we will explain how to calm your nerves before an exam with 10 effective tricks.

You may also like: Calm the inner rage

Index

  1. Nerves before exams
  2. How to calm your nerves in an exam
  3. Establish a routine
  4. Study partners
  5. Puntuality
  6. Breathing techniques
  7. Avoid stimulants
  8. Confidence and motivation
  9. Natural medicine
  10. Distance yourself from the situation
  11. Learn to forgive yourself and recognize your achievements
  12. Benefit from stress

Nerves before the exams.

You have spent several days studying for the big exam, months preparing for exams, weeks doing driving license practices... and you feel prepared! However, when the time comes, you start to get nervous, your pulse trembles, you really want to go to the bathroom, you start to sweat, you forget everything that you took for granted that you knew,... do not worry, it is normal. This anxiety and stress that you feel is natural, but we must not let it go against us, since these nerves can play tricks on us on the exam.

How to calm the nerves in an exam.

How not to get nervous in an exam? How to calm your nerves before a driving test? We can learn to control the situation so that it does not overwhelm us and cause all our effort in studying for the exam has been in vain, because our own nerves have conditioned. Let's see 10 tricks to be able to manage these situations!

1. Establish a routine.

In the days before the exam, it is very important to establish a routine, maintaining daily schedules and trying to follow them as much as possible. The exam is a stressor by itself and if we also add a routine full of changes, new stressors may arise that add to the main one. It is important to keep your mind clear and clear, so try to establish a routine the days before that allows you to focus on the exam. The routine will allow you to feel feelings of security, which will greatly reduce the nerves of the exam.

2. The study partners.

Be vigilant with the study partners you choose. Especially the days before the exam, it is very important to surround yourself with colleagues who give off positive emotions and security. Emotions and sensations are contagious and it is not convenient that they transmit us more insecurities, nerves or negativity. Let the positive emotions of your colleagues be transmitted to you.

It is also important to consider what relationships you have before an exam. There are two types of people who act differently before an exam, those who take the opportunity to do the last review of the syllabus and study what they still do not know and those who prefer to communicate with their peers about anything, except about the exam. Find out which option is most beneficial to you and put it into practice.

3. Puntuality.

There is nothing more stressful on the day of an exam than leaving home and missing the train, encountering more traffic than usual, finding a lane closed for construction, not having gasoline in the car, leave your mobile phone at home,... there are many circumstances that are beyond our control that can cause us to be late for the exam, which generate a lot of stress and anguish. To avoid it, leave home before the usual time, because if you encounter an unforeseen event, do not condition your mental state of tranquility in front of the exam.

4. Breathing techniques.

Well, we can try to control external factors, leaving before home, establishing a routine, selecting the appropriate study companions,... but what if even so, when we get to the exam we get nervous? How do we not get nervous on the exam? A good solution to reduce the nerves at the time of the exam is perform a breathing technique. Breathing techniques can be done anywhere, they are simple and quick to perform, and it will help calm those nerves. A word of advice, breathing exercises are very useful, but each person should choose the exercise that works best for you and you must learn to master it, for this reason we advise you to practice the exercise a few days before the exam, so that the day of the exam it works in all its effectiveness. The following article explains breathing exercises Step by Step.

5. Avoid stimulants.

Although you may think that having more cups of coffee the night before to study and stay awake may be favorable, it can have the opposite effect. The most important thing is to go to the exam rested, with a clear and awake mind, and an excess of stimulating drinks such as coffee can prevent a good night's sleep the night before the exam.

On the other hand, coffee or tobacco, which are socially associated with components that help us relax, are actually stimulating elements, which can promote increased nerves, so do not abuse them before the exam, as they can cause the opposite effect than you expect. On the contrary, you can benefit from food for concentration and memory.

6. Confidence and motivation.

All the measures you can choose to reduce pre-test anxiety will not be enough if you lose confidence in yourself. Believe in your abilities, believe that you will be able to pass the test and believe in yourself, it will be your greatest asset. Your thoughts can be your best allies, but also your worst enemies. Radiate your whole mind with positive thoughts, trust your potentials and let your motivation increase.

7. Natural medicine.

If the previous measures have not been sufficient, they can always be complemented with natural remedies that help us lower anxiety levels. What to take to relax before an exam? There are numerous 100% natural remedies like linden or valerian which are very effective in reducing nerves. As for the pills for the exams nerves, they will be used in case of medical prescription.

8. Distance yourself from the situation.

Sometimes, even if we apply all possible measures to reduce the nerves of the exam, they are not enough, since they are all designed to think about the exam. In these circumstances, it is convenient to distance yourself from the situation, not by studying more hours we will be more effective, when your nerves invade do those activities you likeYou should not set them aside for being in exam period, allow yourself some time and do some activity that allows you to clear your mind.

9. Learn to forgive yourself and acknowledge your achievements.

If we constantly keep to the thought that we may fail the exam, we add unnecessary pressure to the nerves that we feel before the exam. Recognize the effort you have made studying for the exam, the sacrifices you have made to prepare it the best you could and congratulate yourself for it, and in the same way, learn to forgive your mistakes If you think you have not spent the time that you should have, do not whip yourself, take it as an apprenticeship for the next exam. Now you are at this point, in the face of your achievements and failures, accept them in full and free yourself from these additional pressures.

10. Benefit from stress.

In these cases, stress can be our greatest enemy, stress can cause our nerves to increase and we block when it comes to studying. Against, we can use stress to our advantage, stress is mobilizing and activating, instead of reacting to it with regrets, take an active position, allow stress to remind you that the The exam is approaching and that you should start studying and with this you will prevent stress from dominating you, causing you to lose control of the situation and prevent you study.

This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to How to calm your nerves before an exam, we recommend that you enter our category of Personal growth and self-help.

Bibliography

  • Álvarez, J., Aguilar, J. M., & Lorenzo, J. J. (2017). Exam Anxiety in University Students: Relationships with personal and academic variables. Electronic Journal of Research in Education Psychology, 10 (26), 333-354.
  • Álvarez Hernández, J., Aguilar Parra, J. M., Fernández Campoy, J. M., Salguero García, D., & Pérez-Gallardo, E. R. (2013). Exam stress in college students. Intervention proposal.
  • Bausela Herreras, E. (2005). Test anxiety: psychopedagogical evaluation and intervention. Educere, 9 (31), 553-557.
  • Grandis, A. M. (2009). Evaluation of anxiety in front of university exams.
instagram viewer