How to Relax Before a Test

By Bhalachandra Sahaj

Hi everyone!

Summer is almost around the corner, which means that all kinds of tests are approaching as well. Here you are, enjoying your student life and hanging out with friends, and then boom, your test is tomorrow, and you haven’t studied for it, you start panicking, and so on. Don’t be afraid though, since we’re coming to your rescue with the following tips on how to get mentally prepared for a test. Even if you fail, you will at least stay cool. Just follow these tips, and you’ll be fine.

First of all, let’s try to analyze what exactly students are usually afraid of before tests. There are several major stimuli for fear:

– not being able to answer the majority of questions, or even all of them
– suddenly forgetting everything you learned
– not writing enough
– getting a bad (and/or) unfair grade

These fears are normal: as a human being, you cannot remain 100% calm in a stressful situation, and a test is a stressful situation for sure. To lose some steam, you can use the following tricks.

1. Breathing exercises. Did you know that several deep inhales and exhales can completely calm you down? This is one of the reasons why women giving birth are advised to breathe deeply, and this is a technique that may help you if you feel you are being overwhelmed by panic.

2. Focus on what you know. Usually, students before a test or exam are like, “Oh God, I don’t know this, I can’t remember that, what am I going to do?” Relax. You do know something. Focus on what you know, understand, remember, and prepare for the test—it will help you feel more confident.

3. Relax your muscles. When you are in a stressful situation, you subconsciously tighten your muscles, and this physiological sensation makes you feel even more nervous than you should be.

4. Have enough sleep. The brain works better if it has had a good rest. At least a week before your test, try to have eight hours of sleep every day.

5. Drink water, eat chewing gum. Really, just try it.

Oh, and by the way, these tips work even better for students who have studied for a test, but still worry. These guys will benefit twice from this post: they’ll score well, and learn how to save their nerve cells. Enjoy!