9 psychological tips to face exams

Every intellectual challenge entails, at the same time, a challenge when it comes to managing our emotions. That is why, at exam time, it is essential to apply certain psychological self-regulation strategies that allow us to get the make the most of our study capacity, our prior knowledge, and the time we have available to prepare a proof.

The Psychological advice to face exams that we will see in this article are designed to influence the way in which as a student you manage your emotions, your ways of thinking, and your ways of relating to the environment and with others the rest. Of course, remember that you should try to adapt these general recommendations to your case and your circumstances.

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Psychological advice to face exams well and study efficiently

During exam time, many students around the world may go through periods of emotional turmoil. or psychological alterations of a diverse nature that can test their performance and abilities to overcome them. Normally, these difficulties arise from the way in which we manage stress and anticipatory anxiety, two elements that keep us "alert" in a situation that requires us to wisely manage the time available to study.

After studying for several months in which tension and anxiety build up, students can experience true states of discomfort or psychological imbalances in the face of uncertainty; the fear of failing and the vertigo caused by facing decisive exams that can mark their professional future forever. But even the least important exams can trigger real cases of uncontrolled anxiety if we don't know how to act when faced with problems of this type.

In today's article we will present the main tips that we can follow to successfully face the exams and prevent them from excessively affecting us psychologically and physically.

1. organize your days

The lack of order when studying often causes high levels of stress in the student, as well as anxiety or any other psychological and mental health alteration.

To achieve success in any job it is important to maintain a high level of systematic and methodical organization, as well as a fixed study calendar that allows us to get the most out of each working day before the exam.

We can achieve this by assigning a certain volume of study to each day and planning a routine of daily study, in which we will first study the most complex topics and then the easiest to internalize.

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2. Solve all your doubts in class

An essential element to achieve success in any exam is to have all the important concepts well learned and understood, which is why if we have any questions or queries we must clarify them as soon as possible. before.

In these cases we can work together with other classmates to solve doubts together or, even better, consult the teacher about any concept that has not been completely clear or that is difficult. understand. Many cases of anxiety at exam time are reinforced by the idea that, if we had dared to ask questions in class, we shouldn't have to be desperately looking for answers at the last minute.

3. Create a context of mutual aid

Having the support of friends or family who provide us with emotional support to successfully face an exam period is very important both for our mental health and to maintain motivation and optimism in the face of achieving our aim.

As indicated, working in a group with other classmates can be very beneficial, since it will give us other points of view on any aspect of the exam and we can exchange valuable information and notes with them. Besides, establishing a context of mutual support in which you also help them review the syllabus and study efficiently benefits everyones, and it will even give you the opportunity to better understand what you have memorized by seeing yourself in the situation of having to explain it to others.

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4. Start studying early

Start studying early and have enough time to structure the study process and work those aspects with which we have more difficulties will also help us to face the exams at the level psychological.

Studying ahead of time will also allow us to review the entire syllabus that we must study several times, which It will help us automate certain concepts and internalize the most important aspects of the exam. In addition, it is much better to do short study sessions several months in advance, than to spend the same time studying in marathon sessions during the last week before the exam; high stress makes us worse at memorizing.

5. practice healthy habits

Even though we are in exam season, that does not mean that we should neglect the healthy habits that we maintain throughout the year in our day to day.

Some of the health habits that we must continue to put into practice are weekly physical activity, maintaining a diet balanced and maintain organized rest and sleep schedules that allow us to regain strength at night and get up early in the morning.

6. Practice relaxation techniques

In such cases, psychology and mental health professionals recommend putting into practice a series of relaxation techniques that will help us reach calmer and more peaceful states of consciousness.

Some of these techniques can be meditation, yoga, conscious breathing and progressive relaxation. In addition, there are other relaxing activities that we can put into practice such as massages, taking a bath or listening to relaxing music.

7. Reconfigure your internal dialogue

Internal dialogue is the way people have to value the things we do daily and also the thoughts or ideas we harbor about ourselves and our performance.

This self-talk can be positive or negative and reflects our level of self-esteem.. In order to successfully overcome the emotional and psychological difficulties arising from the exams, it is necessary to have a positive self-talk that pushes us forward and provides us with optimism and motivation.

8. Make summaries

Summaries are essential especially when we have to study a high volume of topics and we need to condense the most important information into written guides that guide us.

That is why it is so important to start writing summaries of what we are studying, so that the next review we can use these summaries and save time.

9. If you need it, go to psychotherapy

If you need it, it can be of great help to go to a psychologist if our levels of anxiety and depression before exams are too high. In therapy, without the need for you to have developed a psychopathology that must be treated, you will find psychological self-regulation strategies that will help you make the most of your study skills.