Six Useful Tips for Surviving the University Exam Season

By Shannon Clark

Exam season is now upon us, and it can be easy to feel overwhelmed at the thought of your finals being just around the corner. After all, this time of the year is often associated with all-night study sessions, endless cups of coffee and a severe lack of social life, but it needn’t be that way.

This is exactly why we’ve put together six simple, but useful, tips to help you survive this year’s university exam period.

Write down your schedule

As soon as your exam schedule comes in, write it down and pin it up to your wall. There is nothing more stress-inducing than realizing you’ve forgotten an exam because your phone had a glitch and you lost your timetable. Write down every single detail – from the location of the exam to the date and time.

Don’t isolate yourself

Talking to your friends during this intense time can be a great way of relieving stress – whether you’re talking about the latest soap or ranting about the exams themselves. Humans are social beings, so locking yourself away for a month is going to do you no good at all.

Give yourself something to look forward to

Revise too much and you’ll find yourself burning out. Socialize too much and you’ll find yourself cramming at the last minute and getting unnecessarily stressed. Give yourself something to look forward to and you’ll find yourself feeling far more motivated to get the work done. 

Avoid the temptation of junk food

It can be really tempting to reach for foods that are convenient when you’re short for time, but you’ll soon find yourself feeling lethargic and unmotivated if you exist solely on a diet of cereals, pot noodles, and takeaways during your exams. Instead, plan ahead and buy in foods that are known for their slow release energy, such as wholegrains and fresh vegetables.

Don’t skip on sleep

You’re no good to anyone, least of all yourself, if you’re exhausted. Revising late into the night might seem like the only way you can get through your hefty to-do list, but you’ll find yourself feeling hazy and unfocused the next day. Stick to a regular schedule and switch off your lights at a reasonable time at night.

Don’t worry about what others are doing

Stress can do funny things to people but it’s important to not focus on what other people are doing as you approach your final exams. What works for your friend may not work for you. Stick to your guns, follow the tips above, and remember, in a few weeks you’ll be able to get back to normal (and start planning for summer!).

Shannon Clark writes for Inspiring Interns, which specializes in sourcing candidates for internships and graduate jobs. You can find more of her writing at www.shannonlclark.com and www.sweetserendipityblog.co.uk.

Lead image: Bro. Jeffrey Pioquinto, SJ (Flickr)