Very nervous in exams

Original post by BobTheBuilder94

Hi, I have 11 exams in summer (7 AS resits and 4A2), I resat a few AS in Jan but they didn't go well.

One of the main reasons I think I didn't do well was due to exam nerves especially in c2 resit, my hands were very sweaty (eww I know) and I couldn't concentrate (didn't help that I could see the person sitting up one and to left was shaking his leg like a dog wagging his tail) I kept getting a "no I can't do this thought in my head" even though I revised a hell of a lot for C2 and was getting A/B in past papers.

Does anyone have any tips on how to calm down in exam hall, to think positively and confident?

I'm confident and believe I can get the required grades but crap my self in exams

thanks :smile:

It's normal to get nervous in exams, everyone suffers from it. Just take a couple of seconds out, a few deep breaths, close your eyes, clear your mind and approach the exam as if it were a practise paper. It's a puzzle, all you need to do is find the answer, it's there waiting for you, you need just to focus on clearing your mind. Sometimes it helps to breath in through your nose, hold your breath for a couple of seconds then breath out from your mouth. I know it helps to calm me. Ignore everyone else. In my exam I had people crying, sneezing, the lot. You just have to try and zone them out. Hope that helps!

Reply 2

Original post by BobTheBuilder94

Hi, I have 11 exams in summer (7 AS resits and 4A2), I resat a few AS in Jan but they didn't go well.

One of the main reasons I think I didn't do well was due to exam nerves especially in c2 resit, my hands were very sweaty (eww I know) and I couldn't concentrate (didn't help that I could see the person sitting up one and to left was shaking his leg like a dog wagging his tail) I kept getting a "no I can't do this thought in my head" even though I revised a hell of a lot for C2 and was getting A/B in past papers.

Does anyone have any tips on how to calm down in exam hall, to think positively and confident?

I'm confident and believe I can get the required grades but crap my self in exams

thanks :smile:

It sounds stupid but tell yourself that your better than everyone else and convince yourself that your going to ace the exam that way you with go into the exam with a positive outlook on what is to come. Just think about how well you've done on the past papers and the remember that the actual exam won't be any harder than them this way it will seem more realistic that you can do well. If your worrying loads then try and do some more reivison as that way you will become more confident in your knowledge. I remember in my first ever gcse exam when my hand wouldn't stop shaking and so my handwriting was barely readable for the first question,but I think the reason that I was so nervous was because I'd only revised for 3 weeks and so I knew inside that I hadn't done enough and I was basically scared as to how badly I was going to do. If you convince yourself that your going to be nervous then you will be whereas if you don't then you won't,it's like if you smile at someone then you feel happy,whereas if you don't then you won't feel happy. I really hope that you do well in your exams as the results form your past papers tell me that your capable of doing well good luck !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :smile:

Reply 3

Original post by xxSherlockxx

It's normal to get nervous in exams, everyone suffers from it. Just take a couple of seconds out, a few deep breaths, close your eyes, clear your mind and approach the exam as if it were a practise paper. It's a puzzle, all you need to do is find the answer, it's there waiting for you, you need just to focus on clearing your mind. Sometimes it helps to breath in through your nose, hold your breath for a couple of seconds then breath out from your mouth. I know it helps to calm me. Ignore everyone else. In my exam I had people crying, sneezing, the lot. You just have to try and zone them out. Hope that helps!

Lol shouldn't someone get removed form the exam if they start crying! Because there clearly putting of the other candidates and its not like they're going to well !

Reply 4

Original post by Victoriapownall

Lol shouldn't someone get removed form the exam if they start crying! Because there clearly putting of the other candidates and its not like they're going to well !

haha I think it was towards the end of the exam...something like the final few minutes.

Reply 5

I shouldn't say this but I would have loved to have been there,it must have been so embarassing to not have been able to of held the tears in knowing that your whole year are going to hear you! Omg looooooool,I understanding you may be upset after an exam but crying?!

Reply 6

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxwYFRiAIM8

Original post by Victoriapownall

I shouldn't say this but I would have loved to have been there,it must have been so embarassing to not have been able to of held the tears in knowing that your whole year are going to hear you! Omg looooooool,I understanding you may be upset after an exam but crying?!

In fairness it was chemistry A-level. A lot of people walked out of the exam and burst into tears.

Reply 7

username839567

I am exactly the same, and the only thing that works for me is taking a minute every so often (obviously not too often) to simply breathe and focus myself. You obviously work super hard if you're getting this het up during exams so the knowledge must be there, for me taking a few deep breaths and closing my eyes really does help me focus!

If anything is distracting you then mention it to the examiner - they will do something about it. I had the traumatic event of a child (three years younger) erm.. "giving himself a treat" during an A2 chemistry exam :| it was SUCH a distraction and I wish I'd said something! At the end of the day this is your future, you don't want someone distracting you!

A book called "The Inner Game of Music", although aimed at musicians, is a very good book to read :smile:

it's about not letting what worries you get on top of you, and it actually helped me a LOT with shutting out your own fears :smile:

Reply 8

username669974

I actually did a video about not getting stresses recently, I'll link it at the end.

I always find that the best way to deal with the exam stress is to keep reminding yourself that, especially in your case, you have done the work, and once you are in the exams all you can do is the exam, if you rationalise the worry as unreasonable, worrying about it now won't change the outcome (for the better anyway).

Try to just start each exam, focus on the first question, you can do it, great, move on. It's as if fear is a wall, and you are taking it down one brick at a time, and soon you'll realise it wasn't that big to begin with.

The worry in exams is that you won't be able to/can't do something, so by doing things you'll be able to calm down and focus better.

Hope that helped :smile:

Reply 9

Original post by xxSherlockxx

In fairness it was chemistry A-level. A lot of people walked out of the exam and burst into tears.

I hope this isn't mean in 3 years times seeing as I'm taking chemistry A-level,looks like my life is about to get a lot more depressing! :frown:

Reply 10

Original post by Victoriapownall

I hope this isn't mean in 3 years times seeing as I'm taking chemistry A-level,looks like my life is about to get a lot more depressing! :frown:

haha you'll be fine. I'm not going to lie, it is difficult and requires a lot of hard work both in remembering and in understanding calculations. However the exams always seem impossible when they aren't. There are a lot of easy marks too for conditions, reagents etc. As long as you play their game you will be fine. I came out of every chemistry exam thinking I had failed but actually I ended up with really high marks. You always reflect and think it's worse than it actually is.

Reply 11

Original post by xxSherlockxx

haha you'll be fine. I'm not going to lie, it is difficult and requires a lot of hard work both in remembering and in understanding calculations. However the exams always seem impossible when they aren't. There are a lot of easy marks too for conditions, reagents etc. As long as you play their game you will be fine. I came out of every chemistry exam thinking I had failed but actually I ended up with really high marks. You always reflect and think it's worse than it actually is.

thank you,you've made me feel a lot more positive about the whole thing,do you get given all the formulas or do you have to remember lots of them?

Reply 12

Original post by Victoriapownall

thank you,you've made me feel a lot more positive about the whole thing,do you get given all the formulas or do you have to remember lots of them?

Depends what it is really. Sometimes you are asked to calculate formulas from calculations - they give you yields and using moles you can work out the empirical formula (don't worry you do lots of practice on it). Generally you don't remember formulas you tend do work them out. What you do have to remember are the conditions and reagents.
So for example:

Alcohol -> Aldehyde

Heat with acidified potassium dichromate (colour change from orange to green)

Aldehyde -> Carboxylic acid

Heat under reflux with acidified potassium dichromate

More often than not you are asked to work out the structure/predict the structure of a molecule...

but anyway, we are going off topic, message me if you have any other questions :smile:

Reply 13