ASHLEIGH NEFDT
Every week, Perdeby takes a look at something you should have learned at school to assist you in day to day life. This week, we take a look at how handle exam stress.
It’s almost that time of the year again. A time when students unite in procrastination, share the gift of missed lecture notes and celebrate the fact that we’re all terrified: exam season. It’s usually the season to be stressed out, but what if it didn’t have to be? Perdeby spoke toStudent Faculty Advisor, Ms. Thembi Barnabas to find out how to give yourself the gift of astress free exam season, before, during and after your exams.
Before
Planning (And how to do it)
As any expertly lazy student will know, there is one word we dread to hear when it comes to coping with exams: planning. However, it’s the one word that could be the miracle to saving this exam season. Ms. Barnabas says that the first step to take, for those of us new to planning, is to actually know what, and just how much you are preparing for so that you don’t find yourself choosing between staying up all night or waking up early in the morning to finish studying.
Schedules (And what they mean)
So whip out your exam scope (ahead of time) and break everything you need to learn down into allocated days and hours in order to be a 10/10 planner. After you know for certain that you can’t study for your entire year module the night before (though it was worth a try), Ms. Barnabas suggests creating a realistic schedule. A schedule is effective firstly because it will visually remind you when and how much to study, and will also be the envy of all your disorganised friends.
Procrastination (And how to Avoid it)
Hello darkness our old friend. Procrastination has existed as the side kick to stress for as long as exams have been around. According to Ms. Barnabas, it’s the one thing above all else that should be avoided whilst studying. Sounds like an impossible quest? Forest app, Perdeby’s app of the month, could easily be the Christmas tree to this exam season. It’s an app that essentially forces you to study for a certain time-period by planting a seed. However, if you exit the app, the tree dies and you’re, well a tree-murderer, and what beats procrastination like not wanting to murder innocent trees?
Breaks (And how to use them)
Contrary to popular belief, breaks are extremely important to studying. Ms. Barnabas explains that studying for 45 minutes straight and then taking a short five minute break afterward is a lot more effective than those inhumanely long study sessions.
During the Exam
Channeling your calmness
Everybody gets nervous during tests. The most important thing during the test, advises Ms. Barnabas, is to take note of your state of mind. Remind yourself where you are and that you have prepared, and don’t be intimidated by anyone else who finishes before you.
After
Let it go
If you’ve successfully survived exam season, congratulations. But what now? Besides the obvious celebrating and crying tears of joy, remember not to pay too much thought to the past. As Ms. Barnabas reminds us, a stress free exam season has a lot to do with your state of mind, and that includes the aftermath. What’s written is written, and no amount of late night worrying will change that.
