Mindset shifts to optimise exam performance

In this article, Charlotte Keating gives some tips on how you can keep energy levels and motivation up the week before and during the exam period. 

Mindset shift - converting fear to excitement

Did you know… fear and excitement are pretty much the same feeling? Think about it- your body displays almost identical symptoms, as it’s getting ready to take action. According to neuroscientists, the difference is all in the mind. In fact, when participants of a 2014 Harvard Business School study re-labelled their fear as excitement, they performed better in important tasks.

When you feel those pre-exam nerves kicking in, you can work with them positively by choosing to feel excited instead. Interpreting what you’re feeling as excitement can make exam anxiety easier to manage as it puts you in an “opportunity mindset” which focuses on the ways the exam could go well, increasing energy and confidence.

Here are some ways you can practice this approach while reflecting on your past, focusing on the present and looking towards your future as you prepare for your exams:

1. Reflecting on past achievements

   Think of all of your accomplishments and the challenges you’ve overcome so far in your life- go back as far as you can remember and write them down. Look at this list daily, especially the night before and the morning of the exams, really focusing on how proud your achievements make you feel. Use these memories to get excited about what you have the ability to achieve! 

2. Focus on the present

   As you revise and practice questions this week, the following tips can be useful to keep your energy high by focusing on taking care of yourself: 

   • Wake-up calls- use the alarm on your phone to not only wake you up in the morning, but throughout the day as well.   
     • Set different alarms for whatever intervals work best for you. These are a great reminder to take a break, stretch, get a drink of water, have a snack, or get some fresh air for a few minutes.   
     • You might label the alarms with different words and phrases, such as:
       • “I am really good at what I do”
       • “I am successful”
       • “I always do my best”
       • “Alive, grateful, happy”

       …anything that’s going to lift your spirits when you look at them and help you to be mindful of the present moment!

     • You could also use these “wake-up calls” as an opportunity to play an upbeat song, dance to it like no one’s watching, or simply feel the rhythm to give you a surge of energy. Listening to the music you enjoy triggers the brain to release more dopamine, the “happy hormone”, which also helps to increase energy and focus.   
   • Postural Feedback, or “Power moves”- Getting into as good a posture as possible, chest out, with your hands on your hips like a superhero, over your head like a bear, or to the side like a peacock, is a technique that you can use to feel in control and confident. Take some deep breaths as you do this. You might also say out loud “I feel excited”, even if you don’t feel it at first. Repeating this creates an authentic sense of excitement. Try holding the pose for two minutes to increase the feeling. You can practice this throughout the day when you take a break from the books and also right before going into the exam.   
   • Exercising whatever way you prefer is a great way to gain more energy, absorb information and come up with solutions…maybe you’ll get clarity in an area you had a mental block with while out for that walk?   
   • Switch off after your day of study as best as you can. Activities that will distract your brain and allow it to rest are ideal, like watching a movie that makes you laugh.   
3. Look towards the future

Visualisation is a technique that’s long been linked to high performance in sport and it works for exams too. Spending five minutes each day visualising your future success can help to settle the nerves. For best results, close your eyes, take some deep breaths and allow your thoughts to wander into a day-dream:

• Imagine the day of the exam- how do you wake up? Refreshed, focused, motivated? On your way to exam, how are you feeling? Confident, prepared?
• Take yourself to where you will be sitting the exam in your mind- notice anything you see, hear, smell, feel, … maybe you can taste the mint you’ve been eating?
• Block out thoughts of everyone else- what they are doing is not important and doesn’t matter to you and your success.
• See yourself opening up that exam paper/logging into the online exam system and it all going successfully, answering questions with ease, taking deep breaths and being able to come up with a plan to answer anything challenging.
• Imagine the exam has gone really well. Try to feel the emotions you would feel afterwards. Give yourself permission to get excited about it!

Always do your best

As a final thought, in his book, The Four Agreements, Don Miguel Ruiz says that:

“Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick, when you are tired as opposed to well-rested. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgement.”

Remember, you’ve done the bulk of the work and achieved so much already. A great use of your time this week before the exams is to work on preparing yourself mentally so that you can approach them feeling excited and ready and come out the other side knowing that you’ve done your best.