UK tutoring provider FindTutors, part of GoStudent, has highlighted five key practices for students to adopt during this year’s exam period to help reduce stress and stay focused.
Exams are once again approaching for thousands across the UK, and the psychological strain of preparation, revision, and high expectations is taking a toll. Although mental health campaigns like Stress Awareness Month aim to raise awareness, students continue to face mounting pressure.
According to research published by the Association of School and College Leaders in 2024, 77% of Year 11 teachers observed students experiencing mental health issues linked to exam stress. Meanwhile, NHS statistics show child anxiety referrals have more than doubled post-pandemic, adding urgency to the conversation around youth wellbeing.
To help students stay grounded and supported, Tiara Junanto from FindTutors shares a list of helpful exam-time strategies, drawn from both personal experience and professional insight.
“Preparing for and sitting exams can be incredibly stressful, and without the right tools or knowledge to deal with this, it can quickly spiral into more serious issues.
“The most important thing by far is sleep. We’ve all been there, working on a particularly tricky subject late in the day, and it is tempting to keep going at the expense of a good night’s sleep. This is almost always a mistake, with poor quality or insufficient sleep shown by multiple studies to reduce your attention span and how effective your brain is at understanding things. Aim to get at least 8 hours a night, even on busy days.
“Alongside this comes exercise and nutrition. Grabbing the microwave meal or skipping that run to do a few extra hours of revision sounds like a good idea, but if you have weeks or months to go until the end of exam season it will quickly catch up with you. Exercise can be a fantastic stress reliever and provides your brain with a much-needed break from studying.
“As exams get closer, try and share your feelings with other students or friends, discussing your experiences can help you feel more in control of situations and hearing that others are going through a similar time can be reassuring. But make sure it doesn’t just become a competition to see who is doing the most revision, which is never helpful. Also make sure that you get help from a professional, if you need.
“On the day of, or night before, exams, try and take some time to relax. Techniques such as deep breathing exercises or mindfulness can help you feel less stressed and if you’ve already put in the work, will be more beneficial than any last-minute cramming and certainly better than a night without sleep.
“Finally, don’t discuss the exam with your friends afterward. It is very tempting to try and compare answers to reassure yourself that you have done well, but this can be unhelpful for both you and your friends when you are powerless to do anything about the outcome. This is especially true if you still have more exams to come. Try to let it go and forget about it.”
