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Exam stress survey results

Thank you to everyone who took part in the recent exam stress survey on the ChildLine website.  We’ve received some fantastic feedback which will help us improve our information so we can help you during exam time.
Over 1,300 of you completed the survey, with 96 per cent saying you felt anxious about exams and revision. Below are the most popular answers to the following questions:

What makes you feel anxious?
63%    Not getting into college / university if you do badly
62%    Fears about sitting the exam
59%    Pressure from parents to do well
56%    Not doing as well as your friends
53%    Not getting a good job after

Other things that make you anxious about exams include:
-  Fear of failing and letting yourself down.
Pressure from teachers to do well.
Being the worst in class and feeling stupid or embarrassed because of it. -  -  Fear of having to move down a grade and being bullied or kicked out.

How do you cope with feelings of anxiety about exams?
53%    Talk to friends
29%    Talk to family
29%     Exercise
17%    Talk to a teacher

We can help

For help and advice about coping with anxiety, you can visit the beat exam stress page in the Explore section. You can also get support from other young people on the ChildLine message boards.

Worryingly in the survey results, some of you said you coped with anxiety by smoking, taking drugs and self-harming. You might feel that this is the only way you can cope with these negative emotions but it doesn’t have to be.

Our counsellors are trained in these sorts of problems and are not easily shocked. They won’t ever judge you. Instead, they will listen to you and try and help you out.

Remember, you are not alone and we are here if you need us. Find out about the different ways of contacting ChildLine.

Have your say

We'd like to hear your feedback and ideas on what you'd like to see on the ChildLine website. You can share your thoughts on the message boards.

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Exam stress survey results