Final And Midterm Exam Studies – Ways To Keep Stress At Bay

Blunders that can ruin your final term

Stress is synonymous with final and midterm exams. The entire procedure of recollecting information learned over the entire year in a timeframe of a few weeks is stressful in itself. Add to this the fear of failure or not doing well in these exams and you have all the ingredients for chronic stress. Many students fall into this trap. There exist certain factors that are common across students that add to the pressure of performing well in the final term. Read on to know if these are what you face.

Burning the midnight oil

A majority of students who set study deadlines will stay awake the entire night with books. The fatigue that follows the next day leaves many to question its logic. Are there any positives to gain from entire-night studying that can nullify the fatigue and exhaustion of the following day? Researchers have given all-night study a thumbs down.

An article that is scheduled to appear in the January issue of the journal Behavioral Sleep Medicine proves that students who study all-night on a regular basis have a tendency to have lower GPAs in comparison with those who do not usually stay awake all night studying. This study also showed that a majority of students did not study the entire night out of necessity. They did so because they regarded it as some kind of fun activity or some routine ritual that all students follow. These findings are positive news because students who believed staying awake all night studying can put an immediate end to this traditional practice.

Control that Caffeine intake

It was customary practice for students to consume caffeine, even in the form of pills, or down a couple of Mountain Dews to stay awake all night. Trendier ways have emerged in the form of energy drinks that have flooded the market. These are fast gaining popularity among students who want everything ‘instant’.

Energy drinks are tantalizing and are proven to increase energy levels in the short run. However, once habituated to these their effects show a decline. There can be repercussions as well.

Caffeine in any form can give you a temporary boost. However, what follows is a complete drain of the body’s energy levels. Research has proven that energy drinks can lead to chronic headaches and palpitations of the heart. It is also well known that caffeine stays in the human body for a long period affecting your sleep patterns. Thus, instead of that refreshing feeling in the morning you get a sense of exhaustion. And this can be a potentially repetitive cycle. Thus the key to maintain efficient levels of energy when the finals approach is to find natural energy boosters, including a balanced diet, physical activity, and adequate amounts of sleep.

Enjoy ‘study parties’ with your close pals

Getting together with close pals at study hours might sound strange but is effective nonetheless. If not used with care, these hours can prove futile and will only result in some unproductive fun. Group studying can be highly effective; however, the wrong circle of friends is a sure way to turn this valuable time into mere gossiping sessions.

The meeting place too needs to be appropriate. A session in a restaurant or a dormitory room will have disastrous consequences. The library is the safest bet. If not then any place where silence reigns should serve the purpose. Studying in groups is a unique and efficient method to succeed in examinations and a lot of preparation is needed before it is completely organized and fruitful. Responsibility and commitment should be the benchmarks for students to make it to a study group. And be sure not to lower your own standards of commitment towards studying. Celebrations will have wait until the results are out!

Waiting for that adrenaline rush and for the last minute?

This method has a huge following but it is a huge gamble. The obvious risk is not meeting the deadlines and subsequently turning up for your exams completely unprepared. Lowering the intake of caffeine and getting adequate sleep will increase the chances of success. Studies learnt by following tight schedules and under tremendous anxiety get registered in the short-term memory. However, in the long run this is of no consequence and the whole purpose of education stands defeated. This may lead you to expand your horizons at later times instead of learning them all over again. A smart choice for all those who are addicted to deadlines is to account for a week more than schedule. This should account for unexpected delays. Meeting the deadline a week or so before will give a huge boost to your confidence and self esteem.

Never forget the reward at hand

Always keep in mind the reward of hard work. It is crucial to enhance motivational levels. However, concentration solely on the result of a test can have negative outcomes. If exam stress and anxiety are your weaknesses, then focusing on the result and the fear of failure can derail your schedule. Anxiety related to test results will only lower your concentration towards your studies. Some of the ways to drive away anxious thoughts are positive thinking and visualization techniques.

By now you should be aware of all the factors that lead to academic failures. Therefore, inculcate the good and chuck out the bad. Explore more or exam-related stress and ways to overcome them.

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