Overcoming Examination Jitters Laurie Lumsden Student Counselling Service

Overcoming Examination Jitters Laurie Lumsden Student Counselling Service Trinity College Dublin Last modified August 2003

The focus of this workshop is: • • Control and confidence Staying focused Overcoming distractions Recovering focus and control • Your personal reactions to examinations

Control and confidence • Do everything you can to prepare for the exam • Regular sleep and balanced diet • Manage your time and situations to control the things you can • Positive self-thought • Hang out with positive people

Staying focused • Plan and monitor your time • Equal time for equal marks • Use dot points if you remember something important in another question • If you “get stuck” go onto another question – you can go back later • Develop concentration tricks – rubber band

Overcoming distractions • Avoid negative thoughts – Don’t dwell on: • past performance • What you don’t know • Jot down what you know you will need to use • Avoid comparing notes, etc with classmates • Have a plan about how you will run your race • Pay attention to the exam not to yourself or what others are doing

Recovering focus and control Rehearsal • W-A-SP • Develop and practice positive affirmations and body language • Anchoring techniques • Visualisation • Overcoming “blanks” – Dot points – Next question and go back • Focus on breathing and relax tension in your body

Your personal reactions to examinations • Identify the specific things about exams that cause you stress • Develop and rehearse strategies to counter your stress reaction • Become aware when a stress reaction is developing

Best wishes from your • Lecturers • Tutors • Family and friends • Other support services at TCD • all the staff of TCD’s Student Services • and ME