Exams can be stressful and nerve-wracking. No matter how much you’ve studied or how ready and well-prepared you are, it’s never easy to deal with the stress and tension that’s building up around exam time. Unfortunately, this only makes you less focused and can influence your exam results negatively. That’s why you should try and work on your pre-exam routine to make sure you’re not making things harder on yourself.
If you’re not sure what a good pre-exam routine is, we’re here to help you. Below, you’ll find a list of 7 things you should never do before an exam. Let’s break it down together.
Table of Contents
1. Don’t Stay Up The Whole Night
Pulling an all-nighter is something every student will experience once or twice in their studying years. But, this should never become a routine and a regular habit.
Staying up all night, studying for an exam will only make you feel:
- super tired
- confused
- distracted
- absent in your mind
Even if you did learn something the night before, you’ll find it hard to summon back that knowledge and do well on your exam. So, instead of staying up the whole night, you should create a study schedule weeks early and stick to it.
2. Don’t Give Up
Yes, the pressure is on and you feel like there’s no way you can pass the exam. But, you have to push past this moment and get yourself back in that chair.
Study hard, give it everything you’ve got, and you’ll have nothing to lose. Giving up is easy, but it’ll get you nowhere. So, just stay motivated and keep studying to do the absolute best you can.
3. Don’t Forget to Take a Mock Test
The best way to check your knowledge a day or two before an exam is to take a mock test and see how you do. It would be great if you had any tests from the previous exams that will help you see what type of questions you might be dealing with.
If you don’t have this, you can ask a colleague that’s taking the same exam to prepare a mock exam for you, and you do the same for them. Make sure to:
- include all the materials that will potentially appear on the exam
- include different types of questions
- allow yourself the same amount of time you’ll have on the real exam
Once you finish the mock test, see how you did and what needs improvement. Not doing a mock test would be very bad for you, since you’ll come to the exam with low self-esteem and potential knowledge gaps.
4. Don’t Create Extensive Study Notes
Study notes are important but some students dedicate too much time to creating them and lose precious time for studying. Study notes should be brief, concise, and just a mere reminder of what the exam materials are about.
That’s why you should:
- take notes regularly during the semester
- keep your notes updated
- use those notes as study notes
- adjust them a bit and start studying
Don’t waste too much time creating new study materials from your old notes. Instead, use your existing notes and start studying ASAP.
5. Don’t Panic
Panicking might just be one of your biggest enemies of all time. When the exams are near and you start thinking about the moment you’ll be taking them, you might start feeling the panic levels rising in your mind.
But, you shouldn’t let this feeling take over.
Instead, work on different tactics for calming down and regaining confidence:
- breathing exercises
- talking to yourself in the mirror
- talking to friend or family for support
If you’re panicking because you’ve got other academic tasks to do, remember there’s always a solution. For instance, WritingUniverse can write a research paper for you when you’re out of time. So, whatever you do, don’t let the panic rise uncontrollably.
6. Don’t Get Distracted
When exam time comes, time is of the essence. You should try and use all the time you’ve got available to do the essential exam preparation steps:
- go through all the study materials
- check your knowledge
- get rested
- clear your mind
- do some exercising
And, you won’t always have enough time to do it all. But, if you don’t remove the distractions, you’ll waste more precious time than you’re aware. Naturally, we’re talking about:
- your phone
- social media
- Netflix & YouTube
- texting
- TV
All of this, and so much more can get you easily distracted and get you to waste precious time. Don’t allow this. Instead, leave your phone in the other room or use app blockers to get focused.
7. Don’t Forget to Hydrate & Eat
You may not realize it just yet, but your body has to be energized and hydrated if you want to nail your exam. If your body is feeling exhausted or low in energy, it will make it hard for you to focus and do good on your exam.
Here’s what you should do:
- avoid junk food and sugar
- eat healthy food that boosts your brainpower
- drink lots of water
Help your body and mind stay at their maximum. Eat and drink properly to achieve maximum focus and concentration on your exam.
Final Thoughts
The 7 things we’ve listed above are what you should avoid doing before an exam. It may seem hard at the beginning, but a solid study routine and some rules will help you do it.
Make sure your pre-exam period is stress-free and make the most out of the time you’ve got left.
Author’s Bio
Joanne Elliot is a freelance writer and a blogger. She mainly writes for an audience of college students and young professionals. She loves sharing her tips and secrets on achieving academic and professional success.
