How to Survive the Exam SessionColleges & UniversitiesUpdated on Dec 30, 2017 View more like this | Visit LOS ANGELES, CA | Contact Jennifer Lockman |

Our life is full of different challenges – taking exams is one of them. Very few people can say it is not a stressful experience, even fewer do not really feel stressed, but the life of humans is organized in such a way that at certain periods of time you face the difficulties of exams and essay writing. So, if you can’t avoid it, let’s get prepared.
Exam is not a challenge. It is an opportunity
Exams are outlined to check what you know, find out how you think and analyze things. Nobody wants to catch you out and make a list of all your failures. Use this opportunity to demonstrate your capabilities, imagination, and unconventional approach to topics. This is your chance to tell the world who you are, so use it at maximum. Your positive approach and desire to stand out of the crowd will add a lot to success!
Making a choice: should an exam be a goal or a tool?
Remember one simple thing – exams are only a small part of your life, and if you couldn’t show your best, that doesn’t mean you will never be enjoying life or working with the company of your dream. You may actually be the one who establishes it! Ask Richard Branson.
His school report told a sad story, but if he had paid some attention to it, he would have never tried to achieve or succeed. Exams do not tell people anything about your personality, your character, and it’s not the perfect indicator of your abilities. Once you have taken the exam, move on. Don’t carry the feeling of nervousness along. You just waste your effectiveness, time and emotions. So when you are pressed with deadlines consider https://essaypro.com/essay-writing-service.html academic help.
Tokens are great, but don’t forget to get organized
We have our good luck tokens and believe in them: small badges, a special pen, a postcard, the right color T-shirt, etc. Sometimes clothes are important, as you know they can change our behavior. If you feel more confident wearing a white blouse or a black jacket – go ahead, everything that has a positive impact on us is just fine.
Hey, but tokens are not enough! Right preparation matters a lot. You are about to write an essay and you should get organized. Evaluate the time you have and the volume of information you have to go through. If the amount of work is huge, break the whole chunk down into several parts. Make a plan, allocate time and resources, and forget not about recharging your batteries. Schedule “coffee breaks”, but don’t actually drink a lot of coffee or energy drinks. They can supply you with energy now, but the body will be squeezed afterwards. Find the right work/rest balance. Nobody can work effectively 24/7. Know your most productive time and shift the hardest to this time slot. If you believe the library is the best place for you to fall asleep, find another location to keep you awake!
Nutrition diet and physical activities. Boost your performance
Drink a lot of water, preferably still, because dehydration is dangerous. Plan your menu. Include pasta, bread, fruit and vegetables. Your target is high level of stable energy provided by healthy diet. Avoid sweet fizzy drinks, for they can lead to imbalance of energy production. Be active – jog or walk, breathe in fresh air, it will clear your mind. Have a good 8-hour sleep every day and find ways to relax!
Be excited, but do not get overexcited
You are about to sit and write an essay for an hour. Your body is a bit tensed, the blood pressure rises, and the heart beat is felt in the stomach. All these are good signs, though they should be controlled. It is the way the nature prepares you to perform to the best of your abilities. You need to trigger your potential and it is kick started like this.
Be alert. If nervousness impedes your performance, if the heart is beating like hell and your brains can no longer cope even with the easiest task, you are close to panic which will almost guarantee failure and poor results. Pull yourself together, stabilize breathing and heart pumping blood, calm down and have a fresh look at your task.
It’s a good idea to have the whole picture
What do we mean? Here is some philosophy behind. Again, this is not the remedy to treat all cases, but… taking a holistic approach, let’s look at both sides of the process – a person who is doing their exams and exam markers. Why bother? This approach can help you treat well people who do marking. Those are usually tired of dozens of papers submitted. You can make their life easier with neat handwriting, good structure, clear answers and logic. Of course, it does not guarantee highest scores, but may well prevent your paper from being pushed down. Your respect of exam markers’ mundane responsibilities is appreciated.
Emotional Intelligence versus IQ
Exams, tests and papers measure academic abilities. What about Emotional Intelligence? Research results underline: in business, it is important to be able to build effective relationships. Success is strongly influenced by personal qualities like flexibility, positive influence, ability to work well in teams, high adjustment to change, and other things that are beyond the general scope of exams. We are not saying that it is good to fail in college. The key message is – in case of failure, depression is not the answer. Just look at Steven Spielberg, Richard Branson and Robbie Williams!