Exam Stress

Exam stress | Student Minds tips for beating exam stress 

It is normal to have some level of stress throughout the duration of a degree programme, experiencing small amounts of stress can be a good thing to help motivate us to achieve our goals. However, dealing with stress (especially at exam season) can be difficult, so here are some tips on helping your advisees cope with exam stress:

• Perspective – it’s important to encourage students to put things into perspective, whatever happens in a student’s exams, doesn’t mean they can’t still be successful in later life
• Exercising, eating well and sleeping, are all essential components when you want to get the best performance from your body. Surviving on a poor diet, pulling all-nighters and sitting still can increase symptoms of stress and anxiety. It is especially important at exam time for students to look after their wellbeing.
• Get organised – create an exam timetable, break the revision into manageable chunks, take regular breaks and don’t feel guilty about them!
• Encourage students to speak to someone if they feel like they are struggling. Asking for help is never shameful, encourage them to speak to friends, family or the support services in Queen Mary about how they are feeling and what support might help 

Advice and Counselling have some excellent resources to help support students in this situation and run exam stress workshops around exam periods. The Students' Union also run a Study Well campaign during exam periods.