As Matrics head to exam rooms to write one of the most important examinations they will ever write, some will find themselves in a terrifying situation where they hit that dreaded blank, the inability to recall information despite months of solid preparation and dedicated study.
“Writing an exam can be a very stressful experience for many learners, even when they were diligent in their revision,” said Dr Gillian Mooney, teaching and learning manager at The Independent Institute of Education.
“Teachers and parents should, as their final act of support before pen is put to paper, empower learners to know what to do should they be confronted with a mental void when they receive their papers,” Mooney said.
Mooney advises pupils who feel overwhelmed during an exam to take the following steps in order to gain their equilibrium and confidence:
- Don’t Panic – Take long, slow and deep breaths. Doing this will calm you physically and getting the physical panic under control is an important step in calming your mind.
- Calm down – Give yourself a mental pep-talk by repeating to yourself, “I am calm. I have worked hard. I know my work.”
- Get back to business – Go back to the questions that you believed that you could not answer. Try to jot down anything and everything that you can remember about the material.
- Visualise – Try to use some memory tricks to assist you. For example, try to visualise sitting in class when the material was covered, or try to picture yourself in your study area with your notes in front of you.
- Reconstruct your memories – If you are able to jot down notes about the material, review these notes and see how the information that you have remembered relates to the question. Try to reformulate your notes into a response to the question that was given to you.
- Remember the big picture – Keep in mind that what you are usually marked on is your ability to answer the question. In the worst case scenario, where you cannot remember a single piece of information from your course material, simply try to answer the question from a common sense perspective.
“Staying calm is your most important weapon in the exam room, as is keeping a sense of perspective at all times, and endeavoring only to do your best in whichever situation you find yourself,” Mooney added.
