Skip navigation

You are not logged in

Exam Stress

forms

Exams can be extremely stressful for many students, so much in fact that many students don’t perform as well as they should. In a lot of cases this is due to the the worry of failure, not knowing what to revise and in some cases not taking time out to relax and unwind.

Many students can’t see a way out at exam time and take this entire burden on their own shoulders, often feeling there is nothing they can do to help to ease the stress of exams. The Advice Centre is here to help, and below are some stress busting tips for you to have a look at.

What can I do?

  • Talk to someone If you are especially stressed ensure that you get it off your chest. Talk it through with someone you trust, including friends, relatives, Personal Tutors, the Student Adviser or in some cases a Counsellor. This can be a great way of alleviating stress and worry.
  • Believe in yourself You were offered a place on the course so if you're good enough to be here then people believe you have the ability to complete the exams. If you prepare properly you should do fine.
  • If you don’t understand something, ask! If you're finding it difficult to get your head around some of the revision notes, then talk it through with the course lecturer or with course mates. If that doesn't help, approach your Personal or Senior Tutor to try and resolve the matter.
  • Take time out Revision is of course important but too much ineffective study can have an adverse affect and increase stress levels. Take time out to do something you enjoy for a day or a night, go and see friends or do something that helps you relax.
  • Don’t make unrealistic goals If you believe that anything less than top marks is a failure on your part, then you are creating unnecessary stress for yourself. Set targets that you feel are realistically achievable.

If you are feeling stressed and feel you would like to talk to someone about this then the Advice Centre is here for a listening ear. Other people within College that you can talk to include the Student Counselling Service, Chaplaincy Centre and the Imperial College Health Centre. The Health Centre also runs exam stress workshops, more details of which are on their website.

Nigel Cooke
(020) 7594 8067
IC Extension 48067