The Student Room Group

Do you get exam anxiety?

Those shaky hands and breathlessness before exams? Is this normal or quite common?

I'm genuinely surprised, I'm normally like this all the time and it has a real detrimental effect on my grades. I sat my first exam of the semester today and it has to be the first ever time I've been genuinely calm in an exam. I really had to get this off of my chest because I'm proper happy about it.

Remember to support your peers through this stressful time and be respectful, exam anxiety is real and it can be a really tough thing to deal with!
Reply 1
Not since primary school SATs, no.
Original post by gjd800
Not since primary school SATs, no.

Oh damn, that's impressive.
How do you manage to keep your cool? Or are you generally quite a laid back person?
Yeahh all the time , it's so bad that I nearly fainted in my January exams :rofl: I can't do exams anymore tbh , aren't for me :frown:
I'm doing my gcses atm and I feel 100% calm and tranquil during the exams which is strange considering I had a full-on panic attack for my year 9 mocks in the halls.
Yes. It disappears within the first 15 mins of the exam thankfully - but for the hour or two before it I'll be physically shaking and feel ill. I'm not sure why because I always study and usually feel confident in my ability to pass it. :tongue:
Original post by Pepsey
Yeahh all the time , it's so bad that I nearly fainted in my January exams :rofl: I can't do exams anymore tbh , aren't for me :frown:

I have the same problem!
Have to try so hard not to be sick during them (tmi, maybe :lol:)
Luckily some of my modules are coursework based though, so I can rescue myself somewhat.
Have popped this into mental health for you :hugs:
Original post by MidgetFever
I have the same problem!
Have to try so hard not to be sick during them (tmi, maybe :lol:)
Luckily some of my modules are coursework based though, so I can rescue myself somewhat.

And when I can't do a doable question , I get really angry at myself and go all red , everyone in the exam halls starts looking at me :lol: Haha naa it's fine :biggrin:
Done 10 modules this year too! All of them Maths related fml
Reply 9
Original post by Athenaxx
I'm doing my gcses atm and I feel 100% calm and tranquil during the exams which is strange considering I had a full-on panic attack for my year 9 mocks in the halls.

Same! But I was very panicky on the bus this morning and during this exam, but the others I was actually alright!
I used to suffer from it awfully during my GCSEs and A-levels. I'd spend the few days leading up to the exam feeling constantly on edge and that I was destined for failure even though most of the time I could have recited the entire spec from memory :lol:

Now that I've started university it has gotten a lot better which I'm so happy about as the worrying and panicking really does suck the life out of you.

Glad to hear things went well for you today, OP :h:
Original post by MinaBee
I used to suffer from it awfully during my GCSEs and A-levels. I'd spend the few days leading up to the exam feeling constantly on edge and that I was destined for failure even though most of the time I could have recited the entire spec from memory :lol:

Now that I've started university it has gotten a lot better which I'm so happy about as the worrying and panicking really does suck the life out of you.

Glad to hear things went well for you today, OP :h:

What's your advice for someone in their A-Levels who feels the same way you just described? (on edge, destined for failure)
Original post by chemishard4
What's your advice for someone in their A-Levels who feels the same way you just described? (on edge, destined for failure)

It's difficult but you really have to try and change your mindset. If you know you've revised and that you've tried your best then that's all you really can do and no one can expect any more from you. Worrying doesn't help anything nor will it change anything. If you've done the work then you'll get the grade you deserve.

Also remember that a grade is just a grade. If you end up getting a B instead of an A or if you end up going to your insurance university instead of your firm, it doesn't matter and chances are that happened for a good reason. You are not destined for a life of failure if you don't get the grades you were hoping for.

Revision wise, make sure you're not overwhelming yourself. Spending the entire day studying isn't healthy and it's so important that you take regular breaks or even a day off sometimes. Exams are important, but they're not worth making yourself ill over.
Reply 13
Original post by MidgetFever
Oh damn, that's impressive.
How do you manage to keep your cool? Or are you generally quite a laid back person?

Been raised to see things practically and logically so it is ingrained in me now. I don't worry about much at all. Exams really have two outcomes: prepare well, do well; prepare inadequately, do inadequately. I'm ok with either as long as I am honest with meself about it.
(edited 4 years ago)
Yep. SATs. GCSEs. A-levels. Both degrees.

In the US it's interesting as it seems to be a bit more recognised 'performance anxiety'.
Reply 15
for me i feel like throwing up

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