How to Deal with Exam Stress [Guide for students and parents]

Exams are a significant part of every student’s life. An inevitable routine that occurs every week, month, or year. Various factors cause exam stress for students as well as parents. These depend on academic, psychological, social, and environmental reasons. 

Here is a comprehensive guide designed to help both students and their parents understand exam stress and provide them with strategies to manage exam stress effectively. From recognizing the emotional signs of stress to implementing supportive techniques, we’ll explore how to maintain a healthy balance between achieving academic goals and preserving mental well-being.

Struggling with exam prep? Find out how private tutoring can transform your preparation and boost your confidence.

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Stress signals for students:

• Fear of failure
• Fear of exam hall
• Expectations from themselves, parents, and teachers
• Lack of exam preparation
• Fear of competition
• Improper time management
• Low self-esteem
• Allowing unnecessary distractions

Stress signals for parents:

During exams seasons parents are as stressed as their children. Students probably may not understand why their parents are anxious about their exams. The causes for this are:

• Worry about their child’s academic success
• Pressure to support 
• Unfulfilled personal aspirations
• Social expectations.
• Uncertainty about their child’s exam results

10 tips to cope with exam stress

You do not have to worry when your child shows symptoms of exam stress and anxiety. There are several tips that you can follow to beat exam stress. Let us give you a sigh of relief from exam anxiety through the following. 

1. Communicate about your child’s stress

Discuss with children about what exactly they are feeling. The study “The impact of supportive communication networks on test anxiety and performance,” by Goldsmith and Albrecht in 1993 describes the impacts of supportive communication on test anxiety.  

Talk to them about which part of the curriculum they are facing problems with. Is it math, science, or social studies? 

Give your children a safe space to talk their hearts out. During these conversations, make sure you listen to them without any counter-questioning. With this practice, you will be able to help reduce your child’s stress.

2. Make sure your child eats healthy

Make sure your child consumes a well-balanced diet that can help them feel better and focus more on studying. Before an exam, it is essential to have a healthy breakfast and avoid items rich in fat, sugar, or caffeine, especially energy drinks.

As per research, a body requires the nutrients that it receives from food to function effectively. Whatever it eats influences how the body feels emotionally and physically. For example, foods high in fat or sugar can make you feel heavy or lethargic. It is a lot easier to deal with stress and anxiety when your body is fueled by essential carbohydrates and protein-heavy food. 

3. Maintain a Proper Sleep Cycle

In the fear of failure, students tend to rigorously study for their exams, ignoring some essential things that the human body requires. A good night’s sleep is vital for the body and mind, along with deep breathing. It plays an important role in memory retention and learning, as well. Remind your child to include 7-8 hours of sleep in their timetable. During exam preparations, do not forget to dedicate 1-2 hours of nap time. 

Sleep quality and academic performance are directly proportional. Students’ academic performance suffers when they do not get adequate night’s rest. According to research done by the National Library of Medicine (2020), examination stress leads to irregular sleep for most students and disrupts exam preparation. 

4. Encourage your child to exercise

Students who sit for long hours studying with minimal breaks need to make time for exercise. Exercising increases the level of happy hormones in the body like dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins. As parents, you must encourage your children to do breathing exercises, especially during exam prep.

A 20-minute exercise session will significantly relieve stress hormones for children and learners. A relaxed and uplifted mood will be able to retain memory better and longer. 

You can ask your child to include running, jogging, swimming, and yoga in their daily schedule–not only during exam prep but also as a habit. It will help them stay fresh and energetic for longer hours. 

These are some of the relaxation techniques to implement when exams start.

5. Urge your child to understand, not memorize, the curriculum

Mugging up the curriculum a night before the exam is the worst practice students can do. Parents should encourage their children to understand the curriculum. This helps in better retention and articulation while writing the exam. Subjects like math, science, and coding cannot be by heart. 

Children get stressed when they forget everything while writing the exam. This happens because they try to memorize the curriculum.  This causes anxiety and restlessness, which can affect their performance in other upcoming exams.

You can utilize a few practical examples to teach your children how to learn math, science, and coding. Some online games and quizzes for math and science can help reduce mugging up and learning through practical applications.

6. Take additional help, if needed

Tutoring not only serves struggling students in academics but also fulfills other students’ related issues. Tutors help students cope with exam stress by offering a strong foundation in any topic, a secure study environment, and advice on stress management. Young children may not realize the need for additional help, so it’s the parent’s responsibility to check up on them, particularly before exams. 

For subjects like Computer Science, where the complexity of topics can be overwhelming, recognizing when extra support is needed is crucial. Our 5 Signs You Need a Private Tutor for Computer Science blog offers insights to help parents determine if their child could benefit from one-on-one tutoring.

There are different online tutoring and course platforms available that can reduce the stress of studying like Wiingy,Wyzant, and Khan Academy, Udemy, respectively. They offer expert guidance on how and what to study for upcoming exams. They even provide you with practice papers.

7. Set realistic goals

Setting realistic goals helps reduce exam stress by making the workload more manageable. Small and achievable tasks boost confidence, reduce procrastination, and promote better time management. It ensures balanced preparation and reduces last-minute mugging up. 

Creating realistic goals will encourage your child with a positive mindset, help them identify weak areas early, and provide a sense of control over their study process. This approach can enhance study efficiency and improve mental well-being by significantly decreasing exam anxiety.

8. Take regular breaks

Research shows that taking regular intervals from studying is necessary for students. The duration of the breaks should depend on the number of hours the student studies. For example, if a student studies for an hour, must take a 5-10 minute break. On the other hand, students who study for long continuous hours must take a break for up to 60 minutes. Breaks from continuous studying help to refresh the mind, increase productivity, and keep the body composed. 

Make sure that children do not spend time excessively on social media while on their breaks. Social media can also be a part of the break. Ask your child to take a breather, go for a stroll, and talk to peers, and family. With this practice, stress and anxiety will significantly be reduced. [best time productivity.

9. Think positive

As a parent, your attitude toward exams and their result will affect your child, whether you realize it or not. Focus on the positives. Share examples of your student’s perseverance and hard work. Reassure them that with enough time, practice, and effort, they can learn and achieve anything.

Motivate them with positivity-rich affirmations and quotes to reduce stress. Assure them that you have always got their back. Tell them that you are proud of them, no matter how their exam goes. Try not to pressure them to score good grades all the time. 

10. Plan out a routine to follow

A routine for your child provides structure, improves time management, and creates a sense of control over academic goals. A well-organized routine helps your child balance study time with breaks, sleep, and leisure activities, leading to a more relaxed and productive exam preparation period. You can include revision sessions and mock tests to reinforce learning and build confidence.

Create a routine for your child that they can implement in their everyday life. This can reduce the chances of stress during exams.

How private tutoring helps reduce exam stress

As a parent, you want to help your child reach their full potential, but it can be tough to manage with work and other commitments. Fortunately, you don’t have to do it alone. A private tutor can provide the knowledge and skills needed to boost your child’s confidence and help them do well in tests. 

Parents are advised to hire a good tutor, be it online or offline for children who are struggling academically. Try not to wait till the end of the semester and right before the exam time to find a tutor. Last-minute changes in the learning process may cause a lot of extra stress to your child. 

Online and offline tutoring play a vital role in reducing students’ stress by:

• Providing conceptual understanding of a subject. Students need not to mug up the syllabus.
• Tutors will best understand exam stress and help your child navigate through it. They will provide new perspectives on exam preparation. 
• Helping you with new ideas, tricks, and tips for time management aligning with your syllabus, and
• Boosting confidence from time to time. 

Wiingy provides students the opportunity to have 1-on-1 sessions with verified and experienced tutors. Every tutor is vetted individually and undergoes an extensive assessment that includes interviews, and several tests to qualify. 

You can book a free lesson at Wiingy. It will help your child match with the perfect tutor per their needs. If your child for some reason does not want to continue, Wiingy replaces the tutor free of cost for further lessons. The lessons start at just $28/hr.

They will help you solve complex subject problems with step-by-step solutions. They provide personalized lessons, homework help, and test prep. Therefore, Wiingy can address your concerns– instantly with no stress, even if your child is dealing with last-minute study challenges. 

The Best Tutors, Handpicked for You!

Don’t waste time searching. Wiingy’s tutors are carefully selected for their expertise and teaching skills. Find yours today and start with a free trial.

Conclusion

In conclusion, managing exam stress effectively requires a combined effort from both students and parents. By adopting healthy study habits, maintaining open communication, and ensuring a supportive environment at home, the challenges of exam periods can be significantly alleviated. Remember, the goal is not just to succeed academically but to do so while preserving mental and physical well-being.

We hope this guide has equipped you with practical tools and strategies to navigate exam stress more confidently. With the right approach, students can transform exam season from a time of anxiety into an opportunity for growth and learning.

Other parent resources

How to Create a Study Space at Home [Parent’s Guide]

What is Homeschooling? [Types, Advantages of Homeschooling]

Benefits of Summer School [For Working Moms and Parents]

The Ultimate Guide to Online Tutoring: Benefits, Strategies, and Choosing the Right Platform

Homework Tips for Parents

FAQs on how to deal with exam stress

References

“The impact of supportive communication networks on test anxiety and performance,” authored by Goldsmith and Albrecht in 1993. Published on May 18, 2009

“Eating to Reduce Test Anxiety” was written by Test Prep Review, an online learning platform.

“The relationship between sleep quality, stress, and academic performance among medical students” written Abdullah D. Alotaibi, Faris M. Alosaimi, Abdullah A. Alajlan, and Khalid A. Bin Abdulrahman and published on Jan 13, 2020.

“Four ways exercise can relieve exam stress” blog by Birmingham City University.

“Study Breaks & Stress-Busters” blog by Cornel Health, Cornel University.