Stressed about exams? Worried about an exam you've just taken? Read here for support!

That was really useful thank you! I actually do feel like I did horribly in an exam last week (maths) but reading your post made me feel much better.. and there are 2 more maths exams to go.. So i probably could boost the grade up by working harder for the other 2 maths exams..

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I feel so stressed.

This post was just what I needed. Thank you! xxx

Yeah I have C2 on the 20th and S1 on the 3rd of June..

Have you got any advice for my situation? I did AS Levels last year (Psychology, Maths, Biology and Chemistry) and completely failed them - EEUU. I'm redoing the year with different subjects (Psychology, Film Studies and Sociology) but I'm terrified of the same thing happening again and it's making me less motivated to do revision. This fear is taking over my life and I don't know how to deal with it.

Any advice would be brilliant, thanks! x

it was really helpful thanks for that

Ah all the best tomorrow and with S1 then!

I feel like I did really bad in C2 today... As i want to do medicine I have to get 4As in AS but i feel like im not gonna get an A for maths... I know in C1 and C2 i've lost 15+ marks in each... If by a miracle, the grade boundaries are low and in S1 i do amazingly and get 90%+ then I have a chance at an A. But thats unlikely because people say S1 is harder than C2..

Im soo stressed out and upset.. I really don't wanna do anything other than medicine.. And just because of maths, if I'm not able to medicine it's gonna be sooo disappointing.. I wouldnt know what to do..

I have an exam tomorrow and on Friday as well.. So i'm gonna try and focus on those but still the dreaded thought of my maths grade is in the back of my mind..

Any advice?

Feel like such a failure, upto now Maths was my thing constantly getting 65-75 in past papers, but after C1 and C2 I think I would be VERY lucky to get atleast 60 in both papers. Wanted to do Maths at Uni but now seriously reconsidering it.

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Thankyou, I'll try to not think about it too much. I just hope that I managed to secure a high A on the S1, then there might be a possibility of me coming out with an A. That would be the best thing that could happen to me right now. For C1 and C2 i have a feeling both are bordering on an A/B.

And the issue is my top choice is UCL followed by Queen Mary. Both require 4As and if I didnt get that I will severely be disadvantaged because many people who apply for medicine these days definitely get 4As some even get 5As (as they somehow manage to do 5 subjects).

So the competition is really high and for me to stand a chance I have to get 4As. I never thought this was gonna be very tight, because I didnt experience this during my GCSEs at all..

And the exam I have tomorrow is Biology unit 1 followed by Chemistry unit 1 on Friday. I actually really enjoy Biology so I'll try to focus on those exams more positively.. But it's really hard not worrying about the future and thinking what might happen, plus on top of that I'm an over-thinker anyway.

I really do wish the grade boundaries to be lower and for me to score alot higher on S1. That would solve all the mental dilemmas I'm having now.

Hey everyone.

It was brought to my attention that the NSPCC has reported a 200% increase in counselling over exam stress in recent years. By just browsing TSR too, I've seen loads of people feeling stressed about exams, be it GCSEs, A-Levels, IB exams etc.

We thought it'd be a nice idea to create a follow up thread to my first thread regarding exam stress. The idea of the previous thread was to give people the motivation or the sense of belief that they could do it. The idea of this thread, however, is more to help support those who are feeling overwhelmed by the amount of pressure that they are currently facing. Using some personal experience again and by giving some general advice, I'll try to address some common questions that I was asked in my first thread, as well as some common scenarios/concerns I've seen floating around this forum.

I have my exam soon but I feel like I don't know anything!
Feeling under prepared for exams often stems from the belief that not enough revision was carried out. It is fairly natural, I think, to feel as though you could have done more revision as exams come closer and closer. Whilst a little bit of stress in this way is not necessarily a bad thing in that it can help keep you working towards your goal as opposed to becoming complacent, too much can lead to a whole spiral of becoming more and more stressed and to people even giving up. It is important to try not to let your stress levels spiral like this.

In this situation, it is important to take a step back, relax and to reassure yourself that you probably do know much more than you think you do. In my own experiences, taking a quick break to undertake an activity that you enjoy (e.g. I quite enjoy playing sports) and then going back to work can help clear your mind of these negative thoughts. I can't remember ever going into an exam and feeling as though I knew everything so just remember that it is completely natural to feel that way. Just because you feel like you don't know anything doesn't necessarily mean that it's true.

I started my revision too late and now I'm all stressed out. Is it still possible for me to do well?
This can be a tricky situation but don't beat yourself up over it! Yes, it is very easy to feel frustrated at yourself for not starting sooner but try not to dwell too much on the past. Instead, try to see some positives and work your way from there.

When I was doing my A-Levels, for example, we had an M1 mock about a week before the actual exam. Because of outside circumstances and not revising as well as I could have, I ended up with a D grade in the mock when I was aiming for an A. Given that I had just a week or so before the exam, I obviously became a bit worried!

Instead of dwell on this too much and panic though, I decided to not give up and work as hard as I could to see if I could possibly make a difference. I also realised that, even though I did not do nearly as well as I would have liked, there were some positives I could take out of the mock. For example, despite having quite a lot on my plate and not starting revision as early as I would have liked, I'd still managed to score almost 3/4 of the paper correct. Sure, the grade wasn't particularly impressive but it was a start. Using that, I tried to motivate myself to just keep working to the final day and try my level best.

The exam came and went and then came results day. I looked at my Maths result and before reading my overall result, I looked at my individual module results. I found M1. It was marked out of 100UMS and somehow the mark next to it was...100. Never tell yourself that it's too late until the very last minute. Obviously it is best to start revision as early as possible but if you don't manage to do that, don't give up - just work as hard as you can from this point and you never know, you may end up surprising yourself.

My parents/teachers are putting pressure on me.
It seems to be common for people to feel as though they are being put under pressure by their parents or teachers. It can sometimes help to look at it from their perspective and to understand that they want the best for you. However, sometimes the expectations from your parents/teachers can be unrealistic and this can be a difficult situation to be in.

Unfortunately, it is difficult to give good advice on this matter without knowing the full circumstances. In general, although it may seem daunting, sometimes just having a quiet word with your parents/teachers can be very helpful in aiding them to understand the pressure that they're putting you under. If you do decide to have a quiet word with them, it's best to not sound as though you're accusing them too much as people tend to become defensive if it sounds like that. Instead, try to avoid using the word "you" too much when explaining things to them as I found that this seems to help politely get your point across. If talking to them seems to be too daunting, you could consider speaking to someone else who you trust about it to see if they'd be willing to have a word. Otherwise, writing a small note to them explaining how you're feeling could also help.

I just can't stop worrying about them!
If you find yourself constantly worrying about your exams, you may find that yourself experience a range of stress-related symptoms that can make you feel even worse. These symptoms can vary between individuals but for me personally, I remember I used to experience horrible migraines, loss of appetite and constant tiredness.

If you do feel as though you're worrying a bit too much about exams, there are a number of things that can help. From my own experiences, I found that just taking a step back to relax would really help clear my mind and help ease me for my exams. Not only did this help lower my stress levels, but it also helped me stay more focussed in terms of my academic work and revision. The main issue people seem to have with relaxing or taking a step back is thinking: "OMG, I'm not revising, I'm wasting so much time!" It is important to realise though that taking breaks like this is just as important as revising and that relaxing will serve to help you as opposed to waste your time.

Other than relaxing and taking breaks, it is important to ensure that you have a good sleeping pattern. For those of you who know me, you'll know that I'm being a bit hypocritical when I say that (I never kept a good sleeping pattern when I was doing my A-Levels ) but I found that a lack of sleep really did worsen how I was feeling. If you do find it difficult to sleep because of how much you have on your mind, see if you can speak to anyone you trust about how you're feeling. I don't know why, but letting things out in the air like that can really help you feel a bit less uneasy about things.

I've just done an exam and I think it went so badly
A year or so ago after I did one of my A-Level Physics exams, I came home very down and upset, sure that I'd messed up the exam badly. I wasn't having anyone tell me that I might have done OK and was adamant that things went badly. As a result, I spent months worrying and panicking about the exam, dreading results day. Come results day and I found out that somehow I'd done MUCH better than I was expecting.

My point is that I'd wasted so much time and energy worrying about this exam when instead, I could have been enjoying my summer and taking a much needed break. It really is true when people say that there's not much point worrying about the papers you've done as worrying won't change anything. I'm not trying to convince people that their exams were fine I know that this can frustrate people but just remember that you don't know for sure how you've done until results day. Until then, try not to waste too much energy worrying and just concentrate on your next exam or just relax.

Also remember that even if on results day you find that you've not done as well as you hoped, there are still plenty of options and it's not the end of the world.

A note for A-Level students regarding retakes...
As a result of the new reforms for exams, many A-Level students have been worried about whether or not they can retake their exams next year and this has been stressing lots of people out. I thought I'd just add this to reassure everyone that it WILL still be possible to retake A-Level exams of the current specification. Some colleges may have policies not allowing retakes but that doesn't mean that you can't retake privately next year.

Obviously try your level best in these exams but don't stress about not being able to retake just in case.

I'm just not coping, I need help
If you feel as though things are becoming very hard for you, you may wish to take a trip to the GP to speak to them about how you're feeling. Otherwise, there are some other services that you could consider using:

If you have any questions or your own advice on how to deal with stress, feel free to add it here.

Good luck to everyone with exams!

No problem! I'll keep my fingers crossed for you for S1



I've been through the Medicine application process twice so I'll tell you about some of my experiences about applying. Firstly, Bart's (Queen Mary) don't have any specific AS requirement - they look at your predicted grades and as long as you have AAA, you will still be considered. If you plan on dropping an AS level, you need to score at least a B grade in that subject at AS. Much more important for them are your UKCAT score/UCAS tariff.

I know that UCL give an advantage to people with 4A's though. They do look at other things pre-interview such as BMAT score, GCSE grades, personal statement etc. For Medicine, you just need that one offer and you're sorted. It doesn't matter if you get it from your top choice or from another one of your choices - you'll end up a doctor wherever you go. In fact, when applying for your foundation posts, the Medical School you went to is actually hidden so it really doesn't matter. It is a VERY long and tiring process when you apply (first you spent ages waiting for an interview, go to the interview, then spend some time waiting for the outcome) and by the end of it, it will feel amazing to get an offer from anywhere.



Here's an anecdote for you: when I first applied for Medicine through my school, we had about 10 people who applied. The only people who actually ended up with offers were those who actually didn't quite score 4As. The reason why is obviously not because it's bad to score 4A's but because they applied wisely to Medical Schools that favoured their strengths and that didn't place emphasis on AS levels. In fact, I know someone who scored something like BCCC at AS who ended up with an offer because they applied wisely. There are many medical schools that don't place emphasis or even look at AS results so it's certainly not true that you can only stand a chance if you have 4A's. Have a look at this page when you apply: http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/Applying_to_Medical_School_using_your_Strengths

The jump from GCSE to A-Level is a big one. If it's any consolation, you won't be the only one who's feeling that way - it's completely normal.



I hope Biology went well and that you're feeling a bit better about Chemistry tomorrow. I know it's not easy at all and the whole uncertainty of not knowing how things went and what the future will be like makes things much more harder. Reading though your posts on here though, it does sound like you are very determined to do well and go on to do Medicine and I think that that's one of the most important factors.

Let me know if you have any more questions regarding Medicine too (or ask in the Medicine subforum) and I'll see if I can help.

Hey everyone.

It was brought to my attention that the NSPCC has reported a 200% increase in counselling over exam stress in recent years. By just browsing TSR too, I've seen loads of people feeling stressed about exams, be it GCSEs, A-Levels, IB exams etc.

We thought it'd be a nice idea to create a follow up thread to my first thread regarding exam stress. The idea of the previous thread was to give people the motivation or the sense of belief that they could do it. The idea of this thread, however, is more to help support those who are feeling overwhelmed by the amount of pressure that they are currently facing. Using some personal experience again and by giving some general advice, I'll try to address some common questions that I was asked in my first thread, as well as some common scenarios/concerns I've seen floating around this forum.

I have my exam soon but I feel like I don't know anything!
Feeling under prepared for exams often stems from the belief that not enough revision was carried out. It is fairly natural, I think, to feel as though you could have done more revision as exams come closer and closer. Whilst a little bit of stress in this way is not necessarily a bad thing in that it can help keep you working towards your goal as opposed to becoming complacent, too much can lead to a whole spiral of becoming more and more stressed and to people even giving up. It is important to try not to let your stress levels spiral like this.

In this situation, it is important to take a step back, relax and to reassure yourself that you probably do know much more than you think you do. In my own experiences, taking a quick break to undertake an activity that you enjoy (e.g. I quite enjoy playing sports) and then going back to work can help clear your mind of these negative thoughts. I can't remember ever going into an exam and feeling as though I knew everything so just remember that it is completely natural to feel that way. Just because you feel like you don't know anything doesn't necessarily mean that it's true.

I started my revision too late and now I'm all stressed out. Is it still possible for me to do well?
This can be a tricky situation but don't beat yourself up over it! Yes, it is very easy to feel frustrated at yourself for not starting sooner but try not to dwell too much on the past. Instead, try to see some positives and work your way from there.

When I was doing my A-Levels, for example, we had an M1 mock about a week before the actual exam. Because of outside circumstances and not revising as well as I could have, I ended up with a D grade in the mock when I was aiming for an A. Given that I had just a week or so before the exam, I obviously became a bit worried!

Instead of dwell on this too much and panic though, I decided to not give up and work as hard as I could to see if I could possibly make a difference. I also realised that, even though I did not do nearly as well as I would have liked, there were some positives I could take out of the mock. For example, despite having quite a lot on my plate and not starting revision as early as I would have liked, I'd still managed to score almost 3/4 of the paper correct. Sure, the grade wasn't particularly impressive but it was a start. Using that, I tried to motivate myself to just keep working to the final day and try my level best.

The exam came and went and then came results day. I looked at my Maths result and before reading my overall result, I looked at my individual module results. I found M1. It was marked out of 100UMS and somehow the mark next to it was...100. Never tell yourself that it's too late until the very last minute. Obviously it is best to start revision as early as possible but if you don't manage to do that, don't give up - just work as hard as you can from this point and you never know, you may end up surprising yourself.

My parents/teachers are putting pressure on me.
It seems to be common for people to feel as though they are being put under pressure by their parents or teachers. It can sometimes help to look at it from their perspective and to understand that they want the best for you. However, sometimes the expectations from your parents/teachers can be unrealistic and this can be a difficult situation to be in.

Unfortunately, it is difficult to give good advice on this matter without knowing the full circumstances. In general, although it may seem daunting, sometimes just having a quiet word with your parents/teachers can be very helpful in aiding them to understand the pressure that they're putting you under. If you do decide to have a quiet word with them, it's best to not sound as though you're accusing them too much as people tend to become defensive if it sounds like that. Instead, try to avoid using the word "you" too much when explaining things to them as I found that this seems to help politely get your point across. If talking to them seems to be too daunting, you could consider speaking to someone else who you trust about it to see if they'd be willing to have a word. Otherwise, writing a small note to them explaining how you're feeling could also help.

I just can't stop worrying about them!
If you find yourself constantly worrying about your exams, you may find that yourself experience a range of stress-related symptoms that can make you feel even worse. These symptoms can vary between individuals but for me personally, I remember I used to experience horrible migraines, loss of appetite and constant tiredness.

If you do feel as though you're worrying a bit too much about exams, there are a number of things that can help. From my own experiences, I found that just taking a step back to relax would really help clear my mind and help ease me for my exams. Not only did this help lower my stress levels, but it also helped me stay more focussed in terms of my academic work and revision. The main issue people seem to have with relaxing or taking a step back is thinking: "OMG, I'm not revising, I'm wasting so much time!" It is important to realise though that taking breaks like this is just as important as revising and that relaxing will serve to help you as opposed to waste your time.

Other than relaxing and taking breaks, it is important to ensure that you have a good sleeping pattern. For those of you who know me, you'll know that I'm being a bit hypocritical when I say that (I never kept a good sleeping pattern when I was doing my A-Levels ) but I found that a lack of sleep really did worsen how I was feeling. If you do find it difficult to sleep because of how much you have on your mind, see if you can speak to anyone you trust about how you're feeling. I don't know why, but letting things out in the air like that can really help you feel a bit less uneasy about things.

I've just done an exam and I think it went so badly
A year or so ago after I did one of my A-Level Physics exams, I came home very down and upset, sure that I'd messed up the exam badly. I wasn't having anyone tell me that I might have done OK and was adamant that things went badly. As a result, I spent months worrying and panicking about the exam, dreading results day. Come results day and I found out that somehow I'd done MUCH better than I was expecting.

My point is that I'd wasted so much time and energy worrying about this exam when instead, I could have been enjoying my summer and taking a much needed break. It really is true when people say that there's not much point worrying about the papers you've done as worrying won't change anything. I'm not trying to convince people that their exams were fine I know that this can frustrate people but just remember that you don't know for sure how you've done until results day. Until then, try not to waste too much energy worrying and just concentrate on your next exam or just relax.

Also remember that even if on results day you find that you've not done as well as you hoped, there are still plenty of options and it's not the end of the world.

A note for A-Level students regarding retakes...
As a result of the new reforms for exams, many A-Level students have been worried about whether or not they can retake their exams next year and this has been stressing lots of people out. I thought I'd just add this to reassure everyone that it WILL still be possible to retake A-Level exams of the current specification. Some colleges may have policies not allowing retakes but that doesn't mean that you can't retake privately next year.

Obviously try your level best in these exams but don't stress about not being able to retake just in case.

I'm just not coping, I need help
If you feel as though things are becoming very hard for you, you may wish to take a trip to the GP to speak to them about how you're feeling. Otherwise, there are some other services that you could consider using:

If you have any questions or your own advice on how to deal with stress, feel free to add it here.

Good luck to everyone with exams!

Thankyou so much... You're amazing! I will ask you if i need further help with medicine.. I had my Biology Unit 1( yesterday) and Chemistry Unit 1 (just now) exams and they were quite good compared to maths.. I don't wanna say I did really well and jinx myself but it was much better..

My next exams are not till June (1st, 2nd and 3rd).. So I can take it easy today and start revision from tomorrow and do it gradually without rushing it at the end..

May I ask you what happened with your application for medicine? What unis did you apply to?

And how did you find the whole procedure?

If you could change anything what would you change?

Thank you for the help Usy

The bit highlighted in bold should relate to a lot of people. At AS I had my media exam and my two history exams. I had been getting solid As, Bs and Cs throughout the year and was predicted an A/B in media and a B/C in history.

My results were shocking, I got an E in history (D in unit 1 and a U in unit 2) and a C in media (High B in the coursework and a high D in the exam). I immediately beat myself up about it (I'm sooooo pessimistic ) and complained that I didn't work hard enough. However rather than wallowing in self - pity I spoke to my teachers and parents who suggested that I retook history unit 2 and the AS media exam. I got my scripts back and worked out what went wrong, and I worked out that it was a combination of exam technique and NOT A LACK OF WORK!

I have retaken unit 2 history and the AS media exam and am confident of at least a B or a C in both, which will push up my overall A2 grades.

Basically if you do badly at AS it is probably NOT YOUR FAULT and it may just be a case of something simple like exam technique or exam structure.