Exam Stress: 3 Proven Ways to Stay Calm and Reduce Anxiety During Exams

As the GCSE exams approach in the UK, I thought I would give a little advice, but in the style of an exam response for GCSE English Language (AQA board).  It’s a difficult time for many, so I would like to share the three ways that I coped with exams when I was a student... a long, long time ago in an exam hall far far away.  I hope, too, that it will help students with preparing for their GCSE English exam, as I have tried to show – as well as I can – the skills needed to get a very high grade for writing an article (if that even comes up).  This may be a little too long for a GCSE response in the real exam (I timed myself at 45 minutes but I have been writing this kind of thing for decades).

If you are doing your GCSEs this year, you could have some fun by marking this! What grade would you give it? OK, here’s the question, formatted as a Paper 2 Question 5 article. 

OK, will give it a title and then get on with it!

Exam Stress: how can we stay calm when it matters most?

If you ask me, exams cause way too much stress.  However, as there is no better way to measure national achievement – apparently – we have to put up with them.  As an older teacher (I know my students would probably say “ancient” is a better adjective), I would like to offer a few words of advice, especially as we get closer to the exams.  Some of it is advice I was given as a teenager, other bits and pieces I learned for myself along the way!

When I was a teenager, GCSEs were called O-Levels (the “O” stood for “Ordinary” as opposed to the “Advanced” label given to A-Levels.  One boy in my year received the cane for not turning up to his first O-level exam paper.  He turned up to the rest.  So, times have changed, but the stress and anxiety that exams bring have not.  Likewise, the advice we received then was a little different than today, but here is what I took on board…

Still here? Great! Here are my bits and pieces of advice.

First and foremost, make peace with the exams – this is something my English teacher used to say. By that, she meant that they won’t go away, whatever you do. They are fixed in space, time and… whatever.  It is important that you accept this.  Why? Once you do, you can focus on what you can (actually) control instead: your preparation, your mindset and a calm approach on the day.

Of course, that’s easier said than done.  The only person who doesn’t get nervous on the day of the exam is quite likely the person without a pulse anymore.  So, how do we control those sudden somersaults performed by our stomachs?  I used a technique called “deep breathing” (not to be confused with “heavy breathing”!).  And it goes something like this…

When you breathe slowly and steadily, you activate the parasympathetic nervous system (often called the “rest and digest” system). This helps to slow the heart rate down and also helps you to resist the urge to run like mad out of the exam hall screaming “I’m a banana! Bananas don’t do exams!”.

Lots of people use this technique before exams, presentations, and other stressful situations. It helps shift your body out of alarm mode and into a calmer state.

Here’s something else.  Visualisation.

At any time up to a few minutes before an exam, sit yourself down and do a bit of deep breathing.  Then, think the exam through.  Imagine yourself sitting in that hall and opening the paper. That goes well. Imagine reading the questions and then writing your answers perfectly. That goes well, too. Finally, imagine finishing the paper on time and being really happy with what you have done.  Now, you may call this “visualisation” technique stuff and nonsense, but hold on a minute, here.

Why?  There is quite a lot of evidence that the mind responds strongly to rehearsal, even if it is just in your imagination. By picturing yourself handling the situation calmly, you are essentially training your brain to treat it as familiar rather than threatening. It won’t magically write the answers for you (if only!), but it can reduce panic, improve focus, and help you feel more in control when the real moment arrives.

These are just a few ways in which you can change the way you respond to exam situations without too much effort or practice – they certainly worked for me.  There are more, but my time (and space) is up. So, do a little research and find out the best way for you to cope with exam stress and anxiety!

In the end, exams don’t reward panic or punish nerves - they simply ask you to show up, stay steady, and do what you’ve already prepared to do. The rest is just noise.