How can you reduce stress and improve your grades with time management during exams?

Unrealistic expectations are at the root of dissatisfaction among students and parent community. Take a healthy peek at past performances and arrive at a range you can score. Set a realistic target within that range. Everyone may want 90% and more but has the student reached that range in the past ? Setting unrealistic targets that do not fit student potential leads to overwhelm. Adjust a realistic target and work towards that.

Here is one strategy. A study in the Nurse Education Today (2020) journal found that “the combination of PMR [Progressive Muscle Relaxation] and music therapy was effective for the control and decrease of stress before exams, and also demonstrated improvements in academic results.” Try music and mindfulness-based relaxation before an exam to stay relaxed during an exam. Source: Gallego-Gómez JI, Balanza S, Leal-Llopis J, et al. Effectiveness of music therapy and progressive muscle relaxation in reducing stress before exams and improving academic performance in Nursing students: A randomized trial. Nurse Educ Today. 2020;84:104217.

In my experience, we fret over trying to do everything and then fail to achieve it. The right approach is to understand and accept what can be done. Prioritize important parts.

Understand your sleep chronology and identify your retentive style. Some work great in the mornings. Some do so in the night hours. Instead of moralising the time you should study, ideally create a schedule around your own style. Sleep full and schedule learning when your mind and body is at its optimum! That will give you sense of control. Monitor your breaks too. List distractions and consciously keep them at a distance during the study hours!

Creating a structured schedule during exams is key for stress reduction and academic success. Start by listing exams and study sessions. Identify peak focus times – morning or night – for efficient studying. Break down study sessions into manageable chunks, interspersed with breaks. Prioritize tasks based on urgency. Learn to say 'no' to non-essential commitments. Stick to the schedule, adjusting as needed. Effective time management equals less stress and better grades.

Review your performance and potential consistently. Observe the incremental progress and find ways to enjoy it and savour it. Create new Frameworks that work for you. Pick a focus area and strengthen it with consistent effort. Make an effort inventory regarding which subject areas you have neglected up until now and reflect the reasons behind it. Reflect if you can change perspective around it and bring in new strategies for personal mastery. Self observation is a resource to understand self and make an outcome based plan for self

Self talk during prep time is extremely significant. Sentences like 'This is boring /difficult /tough to manage' are detrimental to creating schedules, expectations and effort. Supplement it with talk like 'I can handle this!' 'This looks tough but with practice, I will get this!' Working around dislike, disinterest for the subject matter also needs attention. Often efforts are obstructed in the haze of personal dislike towards what one is studying. Supplement it with 'This is a system and I need to crack it even if I do not like it, right now!'