High stress levels around exam time can have a detrimental effect on student's performance, as it causes panic and mind blocks during time-pressured exams.
While a little bit of stress around exam time can be useful for helping you to focus and work hard, heightened stress levels as exam dates draw nearer can lead students to feel out of control, causing a negative effect on time spent on crucial revision.
Increased levels of stress leads to the activation of the 'fight or flight' response to try to combat it. With main symptoms including difficulty getting to sleep or waking up, constant tiredness, forgetfulness, unexplained aches or pains, poor appetite, loss of interest in activities, higher levels of irritability, increased heart rate and dizziness, this response to stress can have a damaging effect on studying.
Suffering from three or more of these symptoms for more than two to three weeks is a sign that stress levels are too high and measures need to be taken to reduce them.
Below are a few tips for how to cope with stress around the exam period, hopefully enabling you to boost the effectiveness of your revision.