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How to not freak out at the start of an exam?

So basically in my AS exam I completely freaked out for the first 5 minutes of the test and just couldn't think. I felt really, really hot and a bit sick and couldn't think clearly. Finally I came to my senses and barely scraped an A when expecting near 100 UMS. This didn't really have that much of a negative effect on me, but this year if I do the same it will. How do I avoid this happening again?
Original post by Appleorpear
So basically in my AS exam I completely freaked out for the first 5 minutes of the test and just couldn't think. I felt really, really hot and a bit sick and couldn't think clearly. Finally I came to my senses and barely scraped an A when expecting near 100 UMS. This didn't really have that much of a negative effect on me, but this year if I do the same it will. How do I avoid this happening again?


Do a silent but violent fart. The people around you will gag and the shock of your methane expulsion will destroy their concentration.

So relatively speaking, you will appear really calm and collected by comparison.
Original post by uberteknik
Do a silent but violent fart. The people around you will gag and the shock of your methane expulsion will destroy their concentration.

So relatively speaking, you will appear really calm and collected by comparison.


...
Original post by Appleorpear
So basically in my AS exam I completely freaked out for the first 5 minutes of the test and just couldn't think. I felt really, really hot and a bit sick and couldn't think clearly. Finally I came to my senses and barely scraped an A when expecting near 100 UMS. This didn't really have that much of a negative effect on me, but this year if I do the same it will. How do I avoid this happening again?


Be calm before the test. Don't look at revision notes in the minutes before you go in if you think it will worry you. In any mocks you do, try to decide on a routine when you open the paper. I personally like to read through the entire paper before starting to answer the questions, but this may not be for you.

Original post by uberteknik
Do a silent but violent fart. The people around you will gag and the shock of your methane expulsion will destroy their concentration.

So relatively speaking, you will appear really calm and collected by comparison.


Not to mention doing that may make other people in the exam hall get a worse mark. That fart might just lower a grade boundary...
practice meditation. become one with the examiner.
Original post by Appleorpear
So basically in my AS exam I completely freaked out for the first 5 minutes of the test and just couldn't think. I felt really, really hot and a bit sick and couldn't think clearly. Finally I came to my senses and barely scraped an A when expecting near 100 UMS. This didn't really have that much of a negative effect on me, but this year if I do the same it will. How do I avoid this happening again?


Well done for pulling yourself together. Initial panic is more common than you would think.

I would make sure you time yourself when you do practice papers and treat mocks seriously [i.e don't try and find the paper in advance].

Good luck :smile:
I do the biggest smile, smiling calms your body down
Before the test do as TheMindGarage said. If you still freak out during the test, try drawing number 8 on your hand, use pencil to draw flower on the paper or any other stupid things, even if it is embarrassing or you think it won't help. It helps because you will entirely focus on the ridiculous thing you are doing, realised you have wasted time and go back.
Original post by TheMindGarage
Not to mention doing that may make other people in the exam hall get a worse mark. That fart might just lower a grade boundary...

I do OCR so my whole school could do worse and it wouldn't change the boundaries as the board is huge
Low expectations.
People naturally approach exams differently, I guess. A lot of people I went to school with just freaked out before the exam, and then just started relaxing once it was done...I was the complete opposite :tongue:

So I do think there's a natural element to it. Other than that I do genuinely believe that telling yourself you're going to be fine and you're gonna do well can be a relaxant, even if you don't believe it just saying it helped me a fair bit.
Original post by CastCuraga
People naturally approach exams differently, I guess. A lot of people I went to school with just freaked out before the exam, and then just started relaxing once it was done...I was the complete opposite :tongue:

So I do think there's a natural element to it. Other than that I do genuinely believe that telling yourself you're going to be fine and you're gonna do well can be a relaxant, even if you don't believe it just saying it helped me a fair bit.


i second this. positive affirmations help me a lot b4 exams.

breathing also. sounds silly but taking deep breaths will keep you properly oxygenated so you can be performing your best and will make ur heart rate more steady.

good luck, u got this, just keep telling yourself that :smile:
Original post by RedGiant
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I was getting 100 UMS every practice test and in the mock. Stop trying to dampen my expectations.
Hit your head on the desk and collect yourself. (Don't actually do this, you might be way worse off.) :tongue:

I just think to myself, being overstressed is not going to help me complete this exam, so why should I do worse because of stress. I don't really get stressed though so it might not work.
When you begin the exam and the invigilator says you have X amount of time, take a moment to take a deep breath and then open the exam booklet to Q.1. If the answer to the Q.1 doesn't come to you, don't worry, come back to it later (remember to do so!) and go onto Q.2.

I find once I've started writing the answer to a question I do know, the initial exam anxiety goes away and I came come back to the previous questions in a better mindset.
Original post by RedGiant
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You're not very smart are you.

I said I was doing my AS last year. Why would I switch from non-reformed to reformed? Maths reformed 1 year later than all else.
Breathing techniques, drink water to cool yourself down, I chew chewing gum during an exam because it helps, be as optimistic as possible, look through the paper and start on the easier question and work your way through until you find your momentum.
Original post by RedGiant
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Go find a Year 13 doing maths. If the AS was modular don't you think the A2 would be modular? That kind of logic is too far above your comprehension levels and I'm sure you're too scared to talk to the big bad Year 13's so don't bother. I don't think an A is a bad grade either, I just need an A* to secure my place at a top uni. I don't think my friends who got A's despite working their asses off are dumb, they're well above average compared to the rest of their cohort and have some great paths ahead of them.
Don't revise the night before, have a good night's sleep.
In my A levels I more or less embraced the fact that death was coming and then never freaked

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