Don’t calm down! Exam stress may not be fun but it can help you get better marks

Two-thirds of young people experience levels of exam stress that mental health organisation ReachOut describes as “worrying”. Research shows high levels of exam stress can interfere with attention and reduce working memory , leading to lower performance. Early experiences of anxiety and stress can also set a precedent for mental-health problems in adulthood. But how we see stress can actually make a difference to the way it affects us. Research shows if we believe stress is a helpful response that will increase our performance in a challenging event, it can be a tool that works to our advantage. From good stress to bad stress Stress is a normal experience when we have a challenging event. We can experience stress when learning something new, starting a new job or being in a race. Our experience of “stress” is actually our body getting us ready to take on the challenge. A stress response is helpful as it can increase oxygen to the brain and improve attention, focus, energy and determination. The runner in a race needs to be “stressed” to compete successfully. The young person sitting in an exam room needs it too. Studies show people who are clear about their feelings are more likely to thrive on anxiety and stress and possibly use these to achieve their goals and find satisfaction at work. The runner needs stress to succeed, and so does the student doing an exam. Stress and anxiety can work for you. But they become bad when we evaluate events as a threat rather than a challenge and when we believe we don’t have enough resources to cope. Exams are often treated as a threat because there is potential harm or loss related to our self-worth, identity, and commitments, goals and dreams . If we fail, we think […]

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