Overcoming the exam anxiety
If you experience fear or anxiety in relation to exams, it is important to try to understand where it stems from.
What is it that makes you fear the exam?
Here is a short list of tips you can consider if you experience exam anxiety:
Confront your fear.
Fear thrives in secret. Accept that fear is there, and decide to do something about it.
Be open about it.
Do not be afraid to tell others about your exam anxiety. Talk to the student advisors or a good friend.
Imagine the exam situation.
Think through what is going to happen in the exam. Imagine the room, you sitting there, presenting and talking to the examiners. What scenarios can take place? How can you deal with them?
Get enough sleep and rest.
It is not a good idea to spend the last night before the exam on a last frantic reading. Make sure you are well rested.
Ask clarifying questions.
In the exam situation, do not be afraid to ask questions or make the examiner re-phrase the questions.
Be well-prepared.
The deeper the understanding you have of the course content, the better you remember it. Also, try to connect the new knowledge in the course with what you already know. This way, the knowledge will be integrated, and you will remember it better.