- This is a really, really common problem.
So often when I'm marking papers, I see a question
and I know the student knows the answer,
but they've wrote down gobbledegook.
I know that's horrible,
but it's basically the only way to describe it.
They're usually able give me an absolutely perfect answer,
but that's not what they wrote in the exam.
And the reason that, when they're standing in front of me,
they can give me a perfect answer, and in the exam
they write down gobbledegook,
is because they started to panic.
And if you start to panic and you let it build up,
sometimes you can find yourself
having a panic attack in the middle of an exam.
So, here are a few ways that you can help yourself
if you start to feel the panic building in an exam,
or if you manage to get to the point of having a full blown
panic attack in the exam, a few ways you can bring
yourself back, calm yourself down, so you can write
that perfect answer in there, so the examiner can see
how brilliant you are, as opposed
to your teachers knowing how brilliant you are.
(cheerful music)
The first thing to remember
is that nobody's paying any attention to you.
I know that that's not gonna be what everyone wants
to hear, but in the exam, in a room with hundreds,
two hundred people, everyone is looking down,
everyone is thinking about themselves and their exam.
If you start to panic, it can lead to sometimes feeling
really self-conscious, that everyone's staring at you.
They're not.
They will not notice if you start to panic, unless,
of course, your version of panic attack involves
standing up, screaming, projectile vomiting, fainting.
No one is going to notice that this starts, okay?
And, if we can recognize the start and bring ourselves back,
then, hopefully, we can avoid
having a full-blown panic attack.
But no one is noticing what is going on, so don't sit there
feeling really, really self-conscious.
Before the exam, if you feel yourself start
to panic, nobody is going to notice.
They're all so focused in on themselves.
Something that really contributes
to the feeling of panic, is other people.
I'm sure you've been lining up for exams, and the person
in front of you says, oh, I did four hours of revisions.
How much did you do?
Doesn't matter.
Does not matter to you one little bit
how much other people do it.
The only thing that matters that moment is you.
It does not matter what other people are doing.
And I'm sure some people some people have said,
oh my God, I didn't revise this, or do you remember
what this is, and all that does, is freaks you out.
So, don't talk to other people.
Just say, oh, I'm going for a walk.
Or, I'm gonna go and get a drink.
Or, put your headphones on.
Okay.
Try and avoid other people,
as much as you can, before the exam.
Especially those people you know
are going to stress you out.
Especially the people you know all have previous
of doing that, of like saying, I've been up
until two o'clock in the morning.
What time did you go to bed.
You need to go to bed early.
Staying up until two o'clock in the morning is not good.
So avoid people you know are going to stress you out.
Take each question as it comes.
Maybe, question one, question two,
maybe question three or four, was an absolute disaster.
It happens.
It happens to everybody.
That's that question.
That is now in the past, is done with.
How you did on question three, is not going to affect
how you do on question five.
So try, and this is really hard,
but try and compartmentalize what is going on.
Do not let the fact that one question
didn't go very well, negatively impact other questions.
Try and say, hey, that question wasn't very good,
this question is a new question, it's a fresh start,
we can start all over again.
If you feel yourself starting to panic,
if you feel that panic building up,
I know sometimes for me it kind
of starts here, feels really physical,
it feels like something like someone's pushing down.
If you feel that start to happen, take some deep breaths.
Now I know you're gonna think you'll be really noisy
when you're doing this, so try it with me,
(inhales rapidly)
but slow, deep breaths, in through your nose,
out through your mouth, slow as you can.
Try and keep your in breath and your out breath,
the same, but nobody'll notice, if you start to do this.
The other thing you can do
is just cup your hands over your mouth,
and help regulate your breathing, and remind yourself
that this feeling will go away.
This exam will soon be over.
You are not trapped here, you will soon get out of this
exam hall, this exam will soon be over.
If breathing or talking to yourself doesn't work
to calm you down, try a distraction technique.
Try and look, subtly, because you're not supposed
to be looking at other people in exams,
but try and look at the person in front of you.
Try and describe in detail, exactly what their hair is like,
you know, do they have it in plaits,
have they got it spiked up, with tips,
or something like that.
Look at the person in front of you.
And think about them instead of thinking about your exam.
Or do something like counting backwards from 20.
Something that will distract your mind away from the fact
that you're doing an exam,
and the fact that you're panicking.
If you know you're prone to panic attacks in the exams,
then there are a few things that you can do to prevent this.
So beforehand, go and tell your teacher.
Whether it's your form tutor, or somebody else,
you know who the exams officer is,
and ask if you can be seated maybe at the back,
at the side, or at the front.
I know for a lot of people being seated at the back,
really helps calm them down, because you're close
to the door, no one can see you at the back,
because everyone is in front of you.
If you know that you do tend to panic in exams,
this is something that you can ask for.
There are gonna be lots and lots of people,
that have to do their exams in different rooms,
that need this for exams, they need this for exams,
so your small request of asking to sit at the back,
shouldn't be a problem.
Make sure you are as organized as possible.
So make sure you have your pencil case ready,
and it's in your bag, and your bag is by the front door.
Make sure you get some sleep, make sure your clothes
are ready, make sure your timer is set,
make sure you've got an alarm set.
So that if you know before you go to bed the night before
that everything is ready, that everything is organized,
that you've done as much as you can
to prepare yourself for that exam.
And then the last thing I've got to say is that,
if it all goes horribly, horribly wrong in the exams,
you have lots and lots of options.
It is not the end of the world.
These numbers, these letters, these grades that you're
going to come out with at the end,
do not define who you are as a person.
You are much, much more important than your grades.
There is always the option of taking a year off,
or resitting, or ignoring the grade completely.
So, if you do, do do badly in an exam, don't worry about it.
Don't stress about it.
It will all be okay.
Ouch.
I got you purring.
(cheerful music)