If you’re feeling stressed about your exams, you aren’t alone. Get advice and tips to help you cope.
Exam stress can affect anyone. You might be worried about doing enough revision, getting the grades you need or feel pressure from your school or family.
It can seem scary to talk about stress or anxiety. You might feel like nobody else is feeling this way. But bottling up stress and trying to deal with it on your own can often make the stress worse. So it can really help to talk.
Tips for coping with stress:
the awkward moment
when you forget
everything
Exams can feel like a lot of pressure. You might need certain grades for a course or job. Or your parents, carers or teachers might be putting pressure on you. You might be putting lots of pressure on yourself as well.
No matter where the pressure is coming from, there are ways to help you cope:
When we feel anxious, we can start thinking things like ‘I can’t do this’ and ‘I’m going to fail’. It can be difficult, but try to replace these with positive thoughts such as: ‘this is just anxiety, it can’t harm me’ and, ‘relax, concentrate - it's going to be okay’.
Sometimes people can put pressure on you without even realising and sometimes it can help to talk about how it makes you feel. Talking about things can help you to think about other ways they can support you in the future. If you’re worried about telling someone, you can always talk to us.
Competing with your friends can help to keep you motivated. But it can also make you feel like you’re not good enough, especially on social media. Try keeping a list of the revision you’ve done so you can see how much you’re achieving.
Try using our Art box or the Mood Journal in your locker to describe how the pressure makes you feel. Or write a letter to someone you trust saying what’s happening.
Trying to study when you’ve got other things you’re coping with can be tough. There are lots of things that can distract you, including:
Talking about what’s happening can help you to find ways to make revising easier. You could let out your feelings with a friend, on our message boards or by talking to a Childline counsellor.
Talking to an adult you trust, like a teacher means they could help you to find time to revise when you won’t be disturbed, or talk to your family and carers about what’s happening.
In some serious situations, your school might be able to make exceptions, such as marking your exam papers based on your work throughout the year, but your teacher can discuss this with you.
