Here are a host of tips for students to beat exam fear, and ways in which teachers and parents can support them

Dr Gauthamadas

The dreaded annual exams are around the corner. How can students overcome being paralysed by exam fear, and how can teachers and parents prepare them and support them to do well? Dr Gauthamadas, Specialist in Neuro Behavioural Medicine (www.docgautham.com) explains what happens during the preparation period and offers several suggestions for everyone concerned to deal with the stress.

There are three regions in the brain concerned with exam stress and fear.

The first is the hypothalamus. It is the part of the brain that acts as the bridge between emotions and physical sensations. This part has strong connections to the endocrine or hormonal system, which, in turn, is responsible for the type and amount of hormones flowing throughout the body.

The second is the hippocampus. It is a sort of memory door through which all information must pass in order to enter and exit the brain. This plays an incredibly important role in both the learning and retrieval of facts and concepts.

The third is the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Located behind the eyes, this is the calm, cool, rational
part of the brain. All the things that suggest that you are in control are largely mediated here: things like working memory (the ability to hold and manipulate information in your mind), impulse control, decision-making, etc.

When you are preparing for an exam in a setting that is predictable and relatively less stressful, you are able to engage in “cold cognition”, or logical and rational thinking processes. When you are studying at home while seated in your comfortable bed or chair, and / or listening to music, the hypothalamus slows down the production and release of key stress hormones while the PFC and hippocampus are working smoothly. However, when you enter a somewhat unpredictable and important exam situation, you enter the realm of “hot cognition” or non-logical and emotionally-driven
thinking processes. Hot cognition is typically triggered in response to a clear threat or otherwise highly stressful situation.

So an exam can serve to trigger a cascade of unique thoughts; for instance, “If I fail this exam I may not get into a good college or programme. Then I may not get a good job. Then I may not earn well and get all the things I have dreamed of.” With this type of loaded thinking, exams are sometimes perceived as a threat. In short, when an exam is interpreted as a threat and a stress response is triggered, working memory is wiped clean, recall mechanisms are disrupted, and hot cognition driven overrides the normally rational cold cognition. Taken together, this process leads to a mind- blank.

So what can you, as a student, do to prevent this from happening?

• First, believe in yourself. You wouldn’t have been given a place in the school/course if you didn’t have the ability to do it. Therefore, if you prepare for the exams properly you should do fine.

• Preparation: The army trains new recruits in stressful situations on a daily basis to simulate active combat scenarios and ensure cold cognition during future engagements. The more a person experiences a particular situation, the less likely he or she is to perceive such a situation as threatening. So when preparing for an exam, try not to do so in a highly relaxed soothing environment. Rather, try to push yourself in ways that will mimic the final testing scenario. Through regular, rigorous practice and application of proper learning and relaxation techniques, you can potentially abate the stress response and re-enter a more rational thinking process.

• Learning Techniques: The worst way of revising is try to memorise or “mug-up” or “stare at your notes trying to burn them into your brain”. This not only prevents storage of what you are studying in your long-term memory, but leaves your mind far too free, making way for distracting thoughts to pop up. Thoughts like “I’ll never learn all this” and “I will fail!” One of the best ways to keep such thoughts at bay is by busy.And that means revising in a sensible and intelligent way. It’s much better to revise actively – summarising your notes, understanding and converting the information into your own words, through flow-charts and diagrams, engaging in revision quizzes with your friends, and so on. By doing that, your mind will be too busy for these thoughts to come up. It’s hard to concentrate fully on something that you find boring. But nothing really needs to be boring. You can make things interesting for yourself by discussing the topic with other people – friends, parents, teachers – to find out how what you learn can be applied in everyday life. If you listen to what they say with an open mind, you will probably get some unusual insights which will kindle your interest. If you’ve already decided that the topic is dull, nobody will be able to change your mind for you.

• Don’t be afraid to take a break when you study. Go see a movie, listen to your favourite music, go for a walk, call up an old friend, make a trip to the snack bar, write a letter venting all your frustrations and then rip it up. Scream, if you feel like it, but make it quick, please! Even if the break is only five minutes of daydreaming, do it. Studying with no breaks for long periods of time is not as productive as studying with small breaks every hour or two. As soon as you notice you are losing focus, take a break.

• Leave plenty of time to revise, to avoid cramming at the last minute. This approach will help to boost your confidence and reduce any pre-exam stress as you know you have prepared well.

• Develop a timetable so that you can track and monitor your progress. Experiment with several revision techniques so that revision is more fun and your motivation to study is high.

• Don’t try to be perfect. If you think “anything less than ‘xx%’ means I’ve failed” you are creating mountains of unnecessary stress for yourself. Aim to do your best but recognise that none
of us can be perfect all of the time. The most effective tools in waging your battle against short-term or exam stress are knowing and accepting your limits, and trying to keep everything in proper perspective. Your life will not be worthless if you don’t get every question right. In the grander scheme of your whole life exams are only a small part. Take steps to overcome problems instead of getting stressed. If you find you don’t understand something, address the problem directly by meeting
your teacher or getting help from your classmates.

• Don’t keep things bottled up. Confiding in someone you trust and who will be supportive is a great way of alleviating stress and worry. Remember, your parents are the ones who will support you through thick or thin. But, if for some reason you cannot confide in your parents, find someone in whom you can, preferably an elder, like a sibling, cousin, aunt or uncle, grandparents, or failing even this, a friend.

• Don’t drink too much coffee, tea and fizzy drinks; the caffeine will ‘hype’ you and make your thinking less clear. Eat healthily and regularly; your brain will benefit from the nutrients.

• Some foods are simply more calming than others. Milk, for example, contains naturally occurring serotonin, a chemical that can help to calm you down. Potato is a well-known “comfort food” and so are bread and beans. Lettuce and other raw vegetables are also helpful. A drink of hot chocolate or a bite of dark chocolate with little sugar is great for relaxing and studying as they help stimulate the release of dopamine and endorphins, the “pleasure hormones”.

• Not eating or fasting stimulates a particularly active state in the body. It’s an old survival mechanism whose purpose is to encourage you to go out and seek food, actively. In the process,
though, you become more agitated, and less able to concentrate on other things. So it’s vital to eat regularly during exam times.

• Highly synthetic chemicals such as those found in off-the-shelf fare and processed food can contribute to stress and depression. It’s probably better to avoid those too when you’re under particularly high pressure. Stick to “natural” foods as much as you can.

• Regular moderate exercise will boost your energy, clear your mind and reduce any feelings of stress. Try out some yoga, tai chi or relaxation techniques. They will help to keep you feeling calm and balanced, improve your concentration levels and aid you to sleep better. Use the same exercises in between your study to help screen out the distractions and refresh yourself.

For Teachers
• Interactive learning is least stressful for your students.
• Limit homework overload • Keep kids moving: No matter how old the students are they can benefit
from moving around the room, working at “stations”, taking stretching
breaks, etc.
• Studies show music helps people relax and focus. Classical music is great
for the classroom and can serve as a model for students when they study at
home.
• Listen. Talking about issues bothering students doesn’t have to take up a
lot of instructional time. Even five minutes going over concerns, writing them
on the board and addressing them later can help students put them aside.
• Minimise the importance of tests. Make them fun activities.
• Don’t single out students for censure or castigate them in the presence of
other students.

For Parents
• Don’t overload your child’s daily schedule. Children need time to decompress and develop naturally through non-goal related activities. Lessons, sports and other activities may be helpful, but should be scheduled around what works best for each child – and in moderation.
• Ensure the right amount of sleep. When children don’t get enough sleep, they are at a greater risk of depression, suicidal thoughts and self-harm. Sleep increases focus and concentration, aids learning and memory skills and improves physical and emotional health. Ages 6-12 should get a minimum of 9-12 hours of sleep per night, teens should get 8-10 hours.
• Ensure that your child has leisure activities to relax and unwind.
• Encourage your child to shut off screens at least an hour before bedtime. This means adults in the family should do so too.
• Serve a healthy diet. Meals for the entire family should include a variety of fruits and vegetables and foods made from whole grains and protein. Don’t expect or force your child to eat what you don’t eat.
• Encourage your child to get at least one hour of exercise per day. Outdoor play is best, organised sports even better
• Model self-care. You cannot expect your child to do what you don’t do. Getting enough sleep, eating nutritious foods and exercising are all important for good mental health. The best way to teach children these self-care strategies is for parents to follow them too!