Right now, some of you are relaxing after having finished with exams and moving on to new classes. Others are on the verge of facing their final exams as May starts.

If you are among the latter, you too need to relax, because how you do in your exams depends on what you did in the last few months and weeks, and your ability to not stress yourself out right now. Relaxing before exams is the best way to perform well.

latter, you too need to relax, because how you do in your exams depends on what you did in the last few months and weeks, and your ability to not stress yourself out right now. Relaxing before exams is the best way to perform well.

Well, of course, you know by relaxing we do not mean chilling out completely, playing games, sleeping and chatting. What we mean to tell you is not to let the exam stress get the better of you, so you need to avoid getting burnt out from a lot of hard work and keep all nervousness at bay. You need to be at your best, physically and emotionally, to be able to perform well after all the preparations you have done earlier.

The few days before exams are for revision and if you have been studying, as you should have, there is no need to be stressed or nervous, but most of us can’t help it. I have sometimes shed a few tears before a paper because at that point in time I felt my mind go blank, as if I knew nothing from the syllabus. Or it has happened that a panicky classmate made me freak out because nervousness is a very contagious condition that can rub off on you from others, or vice versa.

So instead of focusing on learning and studying tips and techniques here, for which it is a bit late in the year, we will focus on the other things that you need to do before and during exam days to sail through them nicely.

Avoid stress

Final exams are the most stressful times in any student’s life, no matter what grade you are in. Nervousness is natural, but what will give you most confidence at this time is how well your preparation is. If you have studied well, your stress level is likely to be low because you are ready to face what the paper brings. So the most important factor that will keep you stress-free is studying well, which you should have done by this time.

It seems somewhat unfair that an entire year’s efforts are judged on what you do during the two- or three-hour long exams. If at that particular time you fail to perform at your peak, it really doesn’t matter how well you did the rest of the year. So make sure that on the exam day you are physically and emotionally fit, relaxed and rested.

We will talk about the physical fitness part later, right now let us focus on your emotional state. Keep yourself motivated by pushing away negative thoughts. If you find yourself worrying too much, talk to family and good friends who can make you feel at ease and know what to do to calm you down. Don’t let yourself panic all alone.

Next, you should avoid people or friends who are stressed. It is common for friends to discuss their preparation and feelings before exams, when you find someone freaking out or lamenting how difficult a subject/syllabus is or how bad their preparation is, just run from there. Don’t listen to such negative messages and mess up your mind just before a paper.

Another thing that can suddenly stress out a student is discussions with others before a paper about each person’s state of preparation. When students start comparing their preparations with others, it is bound to make some of them nervous if they think they missed a topic or didn’t learn things as well as others have done. You really do not need this kind of discussion to feel more stressed than necessary.

Sleep well

Sleeping rejuvenates our mind and body. The brain needs sleep to recharge and refresh itself and your brain is the most important part of you that you will be relying upon during exams.

So get good sleep the night before any exam. I know most of us can’t help but stay up late at night to revise important topics and sometimes nerves don’t let us fall asleep too well. Set a cut off time when you will shut your books, turn off the lights and get to bed. Try to maintain that time for days before the exam so that your body is used to falling asleep at that time.

Avoid tea or coffee late at night. Also avoid too many sugary food in the evening or night as it can make you hyperactive, making it difficult for you to fall asleep.

Eat well

Be mindful of your diet during exams. Have things that give you energy, keep your stomach set and are suitable for beating the heat in this hot weather. Avoid things that upset your stomach as you can’t afford restroom breaks during exams.

Get things ready for the morning

Everything you need during exams need to be set and ready the night before. Put in your bag all your pens, pencils and any other stationary that you need, your school/exam cards, watch, calculator and anything else that you will need for your exam.

Do check what kind of bag or stationary case you are allowed and what you are not allowed to use during exams so that you do not find yourself in a mess in the examination hall. For instance, if you forget the all important identification card, etc., and if this creates some problem for you, even if it gets resolved, the incident will make you stressed out and affect your performance.

Have your clothes, socks and shoes all ready and placed at easy access so that you don’t have to look for something in the morning.

Keep hydrated

As it’s the peak of summer, keep a water bottle handy during exams, if it is allowed. Take very small sips if you feel the need, but don’t drink too much water as you might need a washroom break. But don’t keep sweating and dehydrating while avoiding water all together as you will then not feel very well.

Rest your hands

As you will be doing a lot of writing by hand, you need to feel up to it by resting your hands the night before by not writing too much. You can’t have achy fingers that just give up on you during exams.

Take brakes while writing and stretch your fingers and hands before starting again.

Also, sit in a proper and comfortable posture during exams to keep your back, neck and arms relaxed.

Fasting

Since Ramazan is just around the corner, many of you will be in a dilemma to fast or not on the day of an exam. Well this is a personal decision which you and your parents need to make.

If you decide to fast during exams, you can easily do it by being mindful of a few things. The most obvious thing to focus on is what you eat at Sehr and Iftar. You need to have things that give you some energy boost at Sehr to sail through the day and have things that are easy on the stomach, while being nutritious, at Iftar.

And yes, as it is very hot, once you break the fast, keep drinking water to replace what was lost in the day. But more important than this is the time management that you need to be strict about. As you will be getting up for Sehr and fasting can make one a little low on energy, your study hours will need to be planned well.

You need to see when you feel at your mental and physical peak and set that time to study. Take breaks and rest at those times, especially in the evening, when you can’t seem to focus.

Wishing you all best of luck in your exams!

Published in Dawn, Young World, April 27th, 2019