ABOUT EXAM STRESS
- It’s common to feel a level of worry about an exam, but exam stress can cause physical and emotional strain.
- If these anxieties are overwhelming you, you can talk to someone about how you feel.
- Exam stress can come from the pressure to do well, worries about things changing, or uncertainty about the future.
Like it or not, at some point in our lives, we have to take exams. At school, college, uni, even learning to drive – there’s no escaping them. For a select few people it’s no big deal, they even get off on it, but for most of us, exams are stressful.
The pressure to do well in exams can be huge. It can feel as if everything is riding on your results, and that can be hard to cope with. But stress isn’t all bad. In fact, stress can help motivate us and raise our game when we’re faced with a challenge. It's a fine line – too much stress can make you shut down, or cause us to get anxious and tense.
Just like other types of stress, exam stress can impact your mental wellbeing and make it hard to focus on the task in hand. If you, or someone you know, is finding the stress of exams a bit much, CALM is here to support. You can access our free confidential helpline.
No matter what exam you’re taking, your results won't define you or what happens in the future. While an exam might not go to plan, there’s always ways to move forward with whatever path you’re on.