How to stay calm when waiting for exam results

After your end of semester exams, the stress, caffeine binging, and sleepless nights are over, right? Well part of this is true until the day you realize the results are just around the corner. You start to remember how difficult the questions were that you didn’t even get the time to finish most of your papers. Maybe you had a lot of pending assignments that you did not have enough time toprepare for the exams. Perhaps you fell sick in the morning of starting your exams that you missed a few papers. All these reasons can make waiting for your resultsnerve-wracking because you are not sure how you are going to perform. Sometimes, this pressure can be worse than actually doing the exams. There is no doubt; waiting for exam results can be stressful but you can train yourself to stay calm. In this article, we are going to discuss some of the most effective tips on how to wait for exam results so that you are not weighed down by all the pressure and anxiety.

What is done is done. Even if you want to, you can’t just travel back in time and write something different on the papers. Even searching online for marking schemes and comparing your answers will be of no help at this time because technically, there is nothing much you can do about it. In fact, looking for answers before getting your results will create more anxiety because, sometimes the unofficial marking schemes will give you a feeling that whatever you wrote on your papers was wrong. They say, “What you don’t know won’t hurt you.” You are better off in the dark than trying to find answers that will just get you nervous. Just stay calm and let the results come as they are.

Look for something to do so you can distract yourself from thinking about your results. If you love reading, get a novel or two. Love watching movies? This is a great time to catch up with a few episodes of that TV show you missed last summer. Go to the gym, take yoga classes – there is just so much that you can do to take your mind off the exam results. But whatever you do, avoid the urge to visit online students’ forums. Although they can be a useful resource, reading results day threads will do you more harm than good. Reading how other students think they have performed will stress you out even more.

“A problem shared is a problem half solved,” they say. If your exam results are instilling fear in you, talk to someone you trust. It can be a friend, a family member, your study buddy, or even your neighbor. Just don’t keep things bottled up because they might eat you up and find yourself out of control. Release your anxiety slowly by letting someone know how you feel. Even if they won’t change your grades, at least they will give you suggestions on how to deal with the anxiety. Just make sure whomever you trust with your secret is acting in your best interests.

Sleeping is good and having enough of it will keep you mentally and physically fit. Instead of spending the entire night thinking about how poorly you are going to perform and how to pass exams next semester, slide into you sheets and sleep like there is no tomorrow. Ideally, get around 8 hours of sleep so you don’t get the time to think about your results. And when you get up, keep yourself busy and avoid things that remind you of your greatest fears. This will give you the peace of mind and confidence you need to stay strong until you finally get your results.

There are students who would rather use sms, their college websites, or newspapers to check their results instead of getting them directly from their school. While this may seem a bit convenient, sometimes, and especially when you are not sure about how you are going to perform, it would be wise to go collect the results yourself. That way, if you haven’t scored the marks you had expected, you can talk to your professor and see the available options – whether to do a remark or apply for a re-sit.

Don’t waste your time thinking about how you answered your exam questions over and over. If you are sure you are not going to score so great, look for ways to better your grades instead. Ruminating about stuff won’t change anything. As a matter of fat, it will justcause you more anxiety. Try problem solvinginstead and see how it all shakes out. I you are worried about how you will perform, try to find out concreteexam preparation tips that can help you prepare effectively for the next exams. This will keep you focused on a positive action rather than feeling bad about yourself. Think about exactly what you are worried about. Sometimes exam stress is often caused by something else. Are you worried that your friends will laugh at you, you will look foolish infront of your parents, or you are troubled that you may lose your course after years of hard work? Identify what your real fear is so that youcan be able to handle it. Coping with exam results anxiety is not difficult as long as you know exactly whatyou are worried about. If you are able to face your fear, then chances are good you will be able to wait and receive your exam results calmly.

The friends you hang out with will determine how well you are going to cope with the anxiety of waiting on your exam results. If you spend time with peoplewho are always whining about how difficult exams are or stressed about finding out how they scored, then you are likely to get nervous about your results too. Try spending more time with people who know how to deal with stress. Avoid talking about exams or anything that can lead to worry when you are together. Concentrate on positive vibes and you will forget about your fears for a moment.

Studies show that human beings tend to think more about their weaknesses than their strengths. As such, you will find yourself worrying too much about things you didn’t do perfectly and forget those that people praised you for. Think about these exam results for instance. You may be a good music student but just failing a theory paper doesn’t mean that you can sing or tame your vocals. Even if you don’t perform too well in your paper, you still have something that can give you a winning shot. Make a list of things you have done well in the past and are positive about. If you revised and prepared properly for your paper, take that as strength and it will make you feel much better about yourself and the much-awaited results. Also, let go of the urge to control the outcome. You already did your part – worked hard and took your exams – the least you can do now is sit back and let things be. Embracing the fact that things aren’t up to you anymore will greatly help in reducing stress.

When waiting for your exams, it is always a good idea to have a plan A, B, and C. If plan A does notwork, you can turn to plan B and C if the worst comes to pass. For example, if you have just completed your first semester’s exams, plan A would be to proceed to the next semester. If you fail, your exams, then you will have to think of a plan B, which could be either requesting for a remark or applying for supplementary exams. If plan B does not work, then you should probably turn to Plan C, which could be dropping the course. However, you should communicate all your plans to your parents or friends to hear what they have to say about your decision. Sometimes when you are nervous, you may find yourself making rational decisions. Listen to other people opinions to find out if your plans are one of those illogical and silly choices.

Plan fun activities for the results day so that you can have something exciting to look forward to. This will deviate your mind from thinking about the exams and fearing the results.