Managing exam anxiety
What's actually happening in your body, and what to do about it
Exam anxiety is extremely common and almost completely unacknowledged in the way schools talk about exams. Around 40% of students experience significant anxiety before or during tests. Understanding what's happening physiologically — and having a toolkit to respond — makes a real difference.
What anxiety actually is
Anxiety is your threat response system activating. Your body floods with adrenaline, your heart rate increases, your muscles tense. This is your brain trying to help — it perceives exams as a threat and responds accordingly. The same physiological state is also called excitement. The difference is mostly in how you interpret it.
Research by Alison Wood Brooks (Harvard) shows that saying 'I am excited' instead of 'I am nervous' before a high-stakes task measurably improves performance. Reframing anxiety as excitement is one of the few interventions that actually has strong evidence behind it.
Before the exam: build a routine
Uncertainty is one of the biggest anxiety triggers. Building a predictable pre-exam routine removes some of that uncertainty and gives your brain a familiar pattern to follow.
- Know your route to the exam hall and how long it takes — plan to arrive early without rushing
- Pack your bag the night before. Pens, water, sweets if allowed. Don't leave it to the morning
- Avoid cramming the morning of an exam — it increases anxiety without meaningfully improving performance
- Have a short, calming activity for the last 20 minutes before: a walk, music you like, light reading
- Avoid comparing yourself to other students outside the hall — their confidence or panic isn't information
Box breathing (4-4-4-4)
Box breathing activates your parasympathetic nervous system, which is the 'rest and digest' counterpart to the fight-or-flight response. It takes about 90 seconds to start working.
How to do box breathing
- Breathe in slowly through your nose for 4 counts
- Hold your breath for 4 counts
- Breathe out slowly through your mouth for 4 counts
- Hold for 4 counts
- Repeat 4–6 times. Do it in your seat before the paper is turned over if you need to
When you blank in the exam
Blanking — the sudden inability to recall something you definitely know — is caused by high cortisol narrowing your working memory. It's temporary. The information is still there.
- Do not panic. Panic makes blanking worse by adding another layer of stress
- Move on to a different question. The brain often retrieves a memory when you stop actively grasping for it
- Try writing down anything related to the topic — even tangentially. This can trigger the memory you need
- Take three slow breaths before returning to the question
- Leave space and return at the end — the answer frequently comes once pressure has dropped
If your anxiety is severe enough that it's affecting your sleep, appetite, or ability to function in the weeks before exams, please speak to a trusted adult or your GP. Exam anxiety can be treated, and support is available.
Access arrangements
If anxiety is a recognised condition, you may be entitled to access arrangements — extra time, rest breaks, or a separate room. Speak to your SENCO well in advance of exams. These applications take time and require evidence, so don't leave it to the last term.