We at letpads are thinking of you as we are aware some of our students are revising and doing exams in January!
In this week’s blog we are sharing some exam tips to help people achieve the right mindset before a big event.
1.Postive Imagery
Visualising successful performance has been found to increase confidence. Spending time imagining a positive experience will also help you manage nerves. Pictures are better than words. Picturing yourself doing well has been found to be more effective at enhancing mood and reducing anxiety than telling yourself you will do well. It is worth noting that there are some potential downsides to daydreaming about your future success, as discussed here, but these relate to behaviour and self-control strategies over a long period of time. Thinking positively for a few minutes the evening before exam, will help you boost your mood.
2. Remember Your Previous Best
Thinking about previous positive experience will help improve confidence. You should remind yourselves of a successful exam to help you feel more confident about an upcoming one. You should think about what helped you to do well in this previous exam and how you can apply that now!
3. Remind yourself of your preparation
How well you have prepared for a task is an important source of confidence. Controllable sources of confidence, such as preparation, will lead to more enduring confidence levels. Reminding yourself of all the preparation you have put in will increase feelings of confidence and control in the build-up to the exam.
4. Focus on Yourself and Don’t Compare to Others
When you start to compare to others which is not within your control this can be stressful and increase fear of failure. Just focus on yourself and you will be fine!
5.How You Have Overcome Setbacks
Research into mental resilience of Olympic champions has shown how overcoming setbacks has helped them deal with future challenges. Try and think back to previous setbacks and what you did to overcome these.
6. See the Exam as a Challenge, not a Threat
If something is perceived as a threat, it’s more likely to cause stress. Athletes who reframe an event as a challenge. As opposed to a threat, increase their performance. Instead of thinking about the potential negative consequence of a failed exam, you should reframe the exam as an opportunity to succeed. The increase in stress caused by focusing on ‘what if it goes wrong’ will also hinder your sleep the night before the exam.
7.Get a Good Night Sleep
Sleep duration and quality have a significant impact on a number of factors associated with exam performance. Getting a good night’s sleep will help you by improving your memory and concentration. If you don’t sleep before exam it can have a negative impact on mood, with more focus being placed on negative mood.
Good luck with your exams we are thing of you all!!
Love Letpads xxxx