So I know a lot of us have exams starting in about a months time (my first exam is in fact one month today) or towards the end of the academic year whether they're GCSEs, A levels or end of year tests. Whatever stage you are in education you'll have to do some kind of test, and they're not nice are they?
A lot of people get so stressed out about them because they determine a lot for your near future, but it's important that you try not to get too worked up about them because at the end of the day, they mainly test your memory. You could be an A* student in class and when you get into an exam nothing comes back to you no matter how much revision you've done and you won't get the A* you're capable of.
Everyone's a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid ~ Albert Einstein
This is an analogy that I think is really good to remember, we all learn differently, we all react differently in situations and there is no real way that we can all be tested on one thing because it's different for everyone. So you may perform well in exams or you may not but this doesn't mean you are in any way stupid, it's just how your brain works.
When you're revising make sure that you don't do too much. Give yourself breaks and make sure you eat and drink plenty because you need to make sure you can concentrate so you can learn something. I also think it helps to make sure you see people, don't isolate yourself. Ask your family questions and discuss topics with them, arrange to revise with your friends, that way you can encourage each other to revise and I'm sure you'll enjoy it a whole lot more! Also get plenty of sleep and don't leave it all to the last minute, getting yourself stressed out about your revision will not help, you won't learn anything from it! Easier said than done really, but take a walk, have a chat, listen to some music, do whatever makes you feel more relaxed and try not to think about the exams for a bit and you'll feel more refreshed and ready to revise. Don't stop arranging to do things or quitting hobbies because you want to revise, I dance and I have a job and I'm glad I have them as a break and somewhere to go where I don't have to think about exams, it allows me to be with friends as well! So go and get a coffee on a
Saturday morning, have a shopping trip on Sunday, go do your hobbies and again, this will mean you will be less stressed out because you've allowed yourself to have a nice time. Exam season doesn't have to be as horrible as you think it is.
When it gets to the time of your exams what do you do? Panic? Freak out? Breathe, eat a good breakfast and lunch and keep hydrated, take a bottle of water to your exam for if you get thirsty (or if like me your surname is near the beginning of the alphabet, having a nice drink of water helps to pass the long wait to get out of the hall and to the bag room).
Whatever you do, do not doubt yourself. I've said this so many times but if you go into your exams thinking 'I'm going to fail, I can't do this' you won't do as well, you'll not try as hard as you can and when you get your results you'll get what you thought you would when you went into the exam which is not as good as you possibly can! Go into your exam with a positive mindset, tell yourself 'I'm going to try my hardest, and I'm going to make myself proud and the work will have paid off' and trust me you will try your hardest and will get better than if you have a more pessimistic attitude towards it all.
Believe you can and you're halfway there.
My friend Emma was willing read what I wrote and offered to help me a bit, so here's something she wrote for you. When you have finished your exams don't stress about them until the day you get your results, just try and forget about them and enjoy your time off because you deserve it from all the hard work you've done. When you get your results if they aren't what you expected don't panic there are plenty of routes you can take like resitting the year or retaking them. But you can talk to your teachers about what you should do and maybe you are concentrating too hard on the wrong subjects, yes you may enjoy them but that's not really the point the point is if they are needed for your job. Now here comes the choice if you have just done GCSEs is picking what A levels you want pick the ones that are right for you pick the ones that will benefit you in the future and you will enjoy, don't pick ones that you won't enjoy and won't benefit you in the future.
So my wonderful friends, that is my little exam de-stress advice or whatever you want to call it, Lauren and I have decided anything I write that's like this becomes a speech. Speaking of Lauren (smooth transition I know;) ) this is a collaboration with her, she has done a little stress beating, pampering, treat yourself type post so
click here to give that a read (I'm sure it will be fabulous just like her!)
That is all from me for now, I wish you every bit of luck in any exams you have, I believe that you can all go into them and prove how hard you've worked and get the grades you deserve. If you want any extra Emma C chatty speech things (we need a name for these really), or you just want a chat (I'm always willing to chat!) drop me by an email (
haveacupofteax@gmail.com) or a direct message (@_emma__c on Instagram) and I'll be willing to share some more of my ramblings (probably a more appropriate name for them!) with you!
Lots and lots of love this exam season, remember to keep smiling!
Emma xxx
