Exam periods have always been stressful and exhausting, this year has been exceptionally stressful for me as this is my first exam as a postgraduate.
There is a new form of exams that I need to get familiar with and the experience of taking exams online is quite different from doing it offline. Therefore, I have helped myself to develop a few ways to regulate stress.
Firstly, I make sure that I get enough sleep to keep my brain running. Sleep is essential to me when going through stressful moments as it helps me process the information I get during the day. Most importantly, it stops me from getting drowsy when revising and boost my productivity.
Secondly, I installed an app to stop myself from using my phone all the time. Social media is a big temptation, particularly when I’m studying, because who doesn’t want to do something easy and fun. The app allows me to set a period of time that I want to refrain myself from using the phone, when you succeed, the developer of the app would help plant a tree to save the environment! Another way I find useful is letting your friends or your flatmate to keep your phone as not seeing the phone would stop yourself from getting tempted.
In addition, make sure you are feeding yourself good meals. Getting adequate nutrients is important, especially during this pandemic, having a strong immune system could prevent ourselves from falling ill and lose precious time in studying. Moreover, I personally find preparing and cooking meals give me time to calm down and gather my thoughts, putting some music on along with my meals has made my exam period less tense, allowing me to perform my best.
Last but not least, I want to give you a small tip when taking a ‘one way’ online exam with randomised order of the questions, which is a type of exam that once you clicked on the second question you are not allowed to revisit the previous questions. During the exam, it is important to note down which type of questions you have encountered, otherwise, there would be confusion about time allocation.
