By Aneela Aziz

During the spring and summer time it can get very stressful and busy. I am at the moment as I’m finishing my A levels and finding it very tough. I have so much work to do, especially the final year the work is very hard and there’s lots of it to. But I have just got to keep positive and get it all done, as my aim is to get to university this year to do media, communication and journalism and I have to get my grades to get in. I have to work hard and do as best as I can, although there is a lot of revision and theory work to remember for the exams, which will be hard due to the depth of work I have to revise which is stressful. But I always think the outcome hopefully will pay off and I will get the opportunity to go to university and further my education to another level, and to do a course which I enjoy and have a passion for.

I have learnt in life you will have times where you will be under pressure and be stressed, this could be with exams but to get the best things in life you have to work hard for it and overcome the stress and pressure. It will all be worth it at the end depending what you’re stressed about and if it’s your work or exams just keep positive and make sure when you’re revising for exams give yourself time out to have a social life as this sometimes can help release your stress. Good Luck!

When exam pressure gets too much

by Rebecca Whitehouse

In an exam you look up, everyone else is writing away and you haven’t got a clue. But yet I bet you stayed up all night revising, right? Well I’m here to help. Here’s a personal guide of how to revise and most importantly how to avoid the stress of it all. But hey, don’t worry, you’re not alone. If you actually care about your grades and want to do well then it would make more sense to revise giving yourself plenty of time. All it takes is a little planning and self-discipline to avoid  those late nights, cold sweats and so-so grades. To start off your planning make use of your learning type such as active learners, visual learners and auditory learners.

Highlighters can come in use as you can identify key points, so you’re not missing the key bits of information that is more likely to stick in your head than a whole page of writing that looks like gobbledygook to you.     

Sorry to sound like your mum, but… try and eat a healthy diet, not just chips and burgers! Take time out for meals and don’t try to work while you’re eating dinner. Also, too much tea and coffee can increase your anxiety levels and induce insomnia. Caffeine tablets have the same effect. When revising make sure it’s in a quiet, calm environment with no distractions so you can concentrate and make sure all the information is going in.

Get some exercise! You don’t have to go mad. 20 minutes exercise 2-3 times a week will give you more stamina, help reduce stress and help you to sleep. Get plenty of rest and don’t try to work through the night before an exam. Go to bed in good time and get as much sleep as you can. Well, there are all the rules to a good revision system.      

Now we’ll move on to the examination day. A good, healthy breakfast is required; treat it as your ammunition, because without it your blood sugars get too low. This is your fuel, it helps you get time to yourself to think and lower your stress levels as this could make you ill. Try not to worry too much, this won’t do you any favours and can effect your concentration, which is bad, very bad.

I know what it’s like, you find a question you don’t understand, and sit fretting about it for 20 minutes. This is the wrong way to go about it. We all know that the amount of marks for each question is stated at the side of it, so if it’s a 2 mark question it’s probably not worth the 20 minutes when you could have been working on a 5 marks question and still have time to do a few 1 mark ones too. Which sounds better? Yes, the 5 marks right? You should always answer multiple choice questions first and just the little 1 mark questions as this will help build your marks up and could be the difference between a grade C and a grade B. Then you’d wish that you’d answered all the questions. Even if it’s just a guess, you should always try to answer every question. 

Statistics show that over 60% of young people feel sick or are physically sick before an exam, but why? Just do your best. I have to admit, i think maths exams are the easiest because if you don’t know the answer you can actually work it out, whereas science exams you either know it or you don’t, and have to guess. But seriously, if you have revised to the best of your ability, then that’s all you can do.

For more help and info, check out these websites:
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/YoungPeople/index.htm
www.mind.org.uk