“Fortune always smiles on those who have worked hard,” says an English proverb. I would like to add: “and to those who know how to show the results of their work.” In an exam, that's exactly what you do - demonstrate what you've learned. So do it calmly and confidently. Try to change your idea of the exam - it’s not torture, not execution, but simply a test of your knowledge, especially since you know everything (or almost everything).
Change your attitude towards the situation
When the previous point doesn’t work and you’re still worried, try to change your attitude towards the situation. Think ahead about how to solve the problem if your fears suddenly come true. Although the test can affect the quarter mark, it can be easily corrected in the next quarter. The exam result affects either the passing grade or the student's scholarship. The solution could be this: rely on CT (if you are a student) or find a part-time job (if you are a student). No less exciting moments related to work or personal life await you ahead. Therefore, take care of your nerves and learn self-control.
We recommend reading Dale Carnegie’s book “How to Stop Worrying and Start Living”
Increasing the uniqueness of coursework
Increasing the uniqueness of coursework is something that worries students of all specialties and any universities. There are now a wide variety of ways to increase the percentage of anti-plagiarism. You just need to find the one that suits you. We offer you 3 effective methods:
- Inserting introductory structures. By adding expressions like “thus”, “certainly”, “therefore” the percentage of uniqueness of your work increases
- Retelling. By rewriting the material in your own words, you can get an almost unique text.
- Replacing words with synonyms. Either manually or using an automatic synonymizer, you can replace most of the words in your work and increase originality.
We talked in more detail about these and other methods of bypassing anti-plagiarism in the previous article: How to increase the uniqueness of the text for Anti-plagiarism University
To save effort and time, you can order the service in the Antiplagiat-VUZ.rf service. Specialists will increase the uniqueness of your course work to 80-90% in just a couple of minutes. For this, an encoding method is used that hides all borrowings without changes in the text. This way, you can easily pass any anti-plagiarism check.
Also, using the service, you can check the uniqueness of your course work in the University Anti-Plagiarism system. This is what teachers use during university examinations. By using the service, you will receive a full report, and you will also have access to a certificate of anti-plagiarism completion. This will help you find out in advance the exact percentage of text uniqueness and prepare for the coursework.
Be positive
To make it easier to survive “day X”, think about it not as something terrible. If your feelings fail you, use logic: “I was preparing for a test (exam), what should I be afraid of?” or “I was worried last time, but everything went well, why be upset in vain?” Go to a test or exam thinking that you will succeed. However, be prepared for unforeseen circumstances. After all, things don't always go according to plan.
Final classes before the CT 2022 Adukar: +20 points in 4 hours! Do you want to know the pitfalls of the CT and prepare yourself mentally for the exam? Sign up for the final Adukar classes, which will be held in June-July in an online format. You will improve your result to +20 points! Find out more and sign up!
How stress can get in the way
Ignoring your needs. When stressed, a person forgets to eat, rest, and sleep. He doesn't feel like he's exhausted and needs a break. And the longer he remains in this state, the faster his effectiveness decreases.
High risk of making mistakes. Due to anxiety, people begin to rush and fuss, their attentiveness decreases and it is harder for them to concentrate on the task at hand. If you want to complete tasks well, don’t rush, try to exhale and slow down.
You can learn even more information about what stress is and how to recognize it from the free online course “Stress Management.” The training will take only 45 minutes.
Take online courses for free and discover new opportunities Start studying
Get some sleep and eat before the exam
To ensure your head works well and you don’t make stupid mistakes, try to get a good night’s sleep before an exam or test. This will give you a better chance of remembering important information. And it’s easier to think with a clear head. If possible, wake up early in the morning so that you have extra time in case of traffic jams and other force majeure. Don't forget to have a snack so that the feeling of hunger does not interfere with your reasoning. Take these points into account, and it will be easier for you to overcome your anxiety before an exam or test.
How to deal with exam anxiety? Simple Steps to Achieve Inner Peace
What is anxiety?
There are many definitions of anxiety.
To simplify, anxiety is a feeling of uncertainty, the expectation of negative events, failures, and danger. Physiologically, this manifests itself in rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, dilated pupils, problems with sleep and appetite. The anxiety mechanism is aimed at increasing survival and adaptability to the dangers of the surrounding world. Anxiety is based on instinctive cautious behavior. The adrenaline rush that accompanies anxiety helps to mobilize and overcome complexity and danger. Such a mechanism saved our distant ancestors from various dangers of the surrounding world. However, the life of a modern person is much less dangerous, nevertheless, the mechanism of anxiety has not changed.
Anxiety is normal. But in the modern world, excessive anxiety rather “spoils” life than helps to adapt to it.
How does anxiety work?
- The limbic system reacts to the image that the brain has recognized.
- The adrenal glands produce adrenaline, the “fear hormone.”
- Adrenaline triggers reactions in the body to respond to danger - fight, flight or pretend to be carrion.
The reaction “pretend to be carrion” can also be called apathy, when a person indulges in decadent moods: “nothing will work out, nothing depends on me.”
“Good” or “bad” anxiety?
Signs of “good” anxiety:
- Helps to mobilize forces and solve the problem.
- Does not interfere with normal life (interests, communication, daily routine, sleep, appetite, etc.).
- Short-term.
Signs of “bad” anxiety:
- It doesn’t help solve the problem, but puts you into a state of “immobilization” and panic.
- It interferes with leading a normal life; there are disturbances in sleep, appetite, and communication.
- Lasts a long time and does not stop naturally.
Anxiety and fear
Anxiety is an uncertain source of danger. Behind anxiety is the fear of failure. When we worry, we exaggerate, it seems to us that everything will be bad and there will be no opportunity to change the situation. It is important to understand what is hidden behind anxiety, what are you really afraid of? This could be fear of punishment, judgment, loneliness, etc. Acknowledging your fear is already a big step towards healing anxiety!
What not to do when you have anxiety?
- Ignore the alarm.
- Avoid your feelings.
- Hide anxiety from loved ones.
- Be self-confident.
- Let everything take its course.
- Scold, blame the source of anxiety (exam,
- parents, teachers, etc.).
- Putting yourself under even more stress (not eating, not sleeping, not
- rest).
- To indulge in all kinds of serious addictions - alcohol, overeating,
- long sleep, games, TV series, etc.
Our task is to prepare ourselves psychologically for the exam. If you leave everything to chance, there is a chance that the body will be exposed to too much stress, and it will be more difficult to recover from it.
“The exam is just one of the stages, and life will not end there. It is important to accept your responsibility and understand that no one else will pass the exam for you.”
What fear is behind your anxiety?
When we worry, we exaggerate, it seems to us that everything will be bad and there will be no opportunity to change the situation.
Try to see what is behind the fear of an exam: failure, a ruined future, bad work... Our psychological system is teachable. But she is very anxious about what has not yet happened in life or about experiences that have not been consolidated. Remember, for example, a big test or other tests - this way you will gradually be able to experience anxiety and make it easier for yourself to prepare for tests.
How to psychologically prepare yourself for the exam?
- Admit to yourself honestly that you are experiencing anxiety and fear, that you are afraid.
- Turn uncertainty into certainty. Find your fears within yourself and acknowledge them.
- Act early. Live through your experiences of failure and identified fear in advance. Prepare yourself and your body for the exam.
- To plan. Identify frightening scenarios in advance and come up with a realistic action plan for each.
- Do everything that you can really influence. And accept what is impossible to influence.
- Keep in touch with reality, ground yourself. Anxiety and fears take us into virtual reality in our heads. It is important to learn to ground yourself and connect with your body.
- Include critical thinking. It is important to learn to ask yourself the right questions and remove illusions. Severe anxiety can only occur in a moment of real threat to life! Everything else is an illusion, not true. The exam itself is not a threat to life.
- Relax. Any anxiety is tension in the whole body. Mobilization is needed in the moment, and to tense up and expose yourself to stress in advance means to weaken yourself and your psyche, to incapacitate yourself in advance. Learn to relax your body first.
- Find someone who will listen to your worries and fears without judgment - someone you trust.
- Build new neural chains. Create conditions for yourself that are close to the exam.
“Remember: when you take an exam in a state of anxiety, your body is busy with something else. There is no energy left for important matters.
But the exam will end, and life will go on! You have already done a lot to prepare for this test. Your life will not end after the exam!”
Exercises to relieve anxiety
Breath:
Take 5-10 deep breaths in and out at the same count. For example, inhale for a count of 5, then pause for 5, exhale for 5.
Body:
- Shake your legs and arms as if you are throwing something off them;
- Shake your whole body, dance;
- Stomp your feet to feel your feet;
- Rub your earlobes;
- Relax your body (squeeze and unclench
- palms).
Pay attention to sounds:
- Close your eyes and listen to the sounds around you.
- Listen to them for about a minute, counting to yourself.
Attention to items:
- Close your eyes and do a breathing exercise.
- Open your eyes and fixate the first 5 objects.
Advice for teachers and parents
During this period, heartfelt support for your children and students, help in dispelling illusions, relieving pressure and tension is very important. Surround them with care. Seeing and feeling your confidence, your children will also feel more confident. Show that your love does not depend on passing the exam!
What is important to do for yourself after the exam (regardless of its result):
- Thank yourself!
- Give your mind and body a rest (sleep, distraction).
- Analyze the experience (what worked, what didn’t).
- Anchor the completed stage (it's finished, behind us!).
- Do not blame for an undesirable result;
What not to do:
- Drink alcohol, overeat.
- Blame yourself for bad results.
Certified publications for preparing for the Unified State Exam
Follow the link to find a selection of graduate manuals created by experts. Among the materials: standard tests, the best options, problem books with a collection of formulas, analysis of the most difficult tasks of the Unified State Exam, Unified State Exam and VPR. Delivery from door to door and to parcel terminals of the Pyaterochka chain of stores is possible. Buy
Students are different
Each person is individual and approaches the session differently.
For example, there is a student... ...lazy.
He believes that he learns more while lying on the sofa than in the classroom. He doesn’t take notes; on the eve of the exam he asks to share his classmates’ notes. But he doesn’t consider it necessary to study them. He relies on freebies, his own charm and a book left under his pillow at night.
…diligent.
Does not miss lectures and seminars, fulfills all tasks of teachers. Tries to understand the material. If he doesn’t understand something, he resorts to good old cramming in moderation.
...bison
Unlike a diligent student, he skips the analysis stage and goes straight to verbatim memorization. Knows on which page and in what place the required concept is located. He can reproduce memorized material down to the comma, but still cannot understand what he just talked about.
...brilliant.
Quite a rare species. A person who only needs to read the outline at the door of the audience once to answer.
…communicable.
It is he who has acquaintances in each course who are ready to convey to their younger brothers the entire array of information necessary to pass the session.
…alarmist.
There is a representative of this species in almost every group. He appears a couple of days before the test and begins sharing his experiences in a general chat on social networks. They are often based on the experiences of fellow students who “remember that exam like their worst nightmare” and personal anxieties such as “I dreamed that I failed everything.” With his statements he can undermine the positive attitude of the entire team.
Draw your fear
How do you imagine your fear and anxiety? In the form of a huge blot or a monster from childhood dreams? In the form of a spider or a cockroach? Even if you don’t know how to draw at all, imagine fear and stress in the form of some graphic image and start putting it on paper. If you can’t depict something alive, draw squares and dashes or chaotic lines. At the same time, imagine how all the excitement transfers to paper. After you draw, look carefully at the result and throw away the sheet.
Olga Akimova: Parents need to believe in their child and remain calm
Deputy Head of the North-West Branch of the Moscow Service for Psychological Assistance to the Population
When it's time for final exams, parents need to be calm themselves. If you are very worried, you can consult a doctor and take a sedative.
The main thing is to believe in your child, tell him that he can handle it, that you love him and will always love him, regardless of the Unified State Exam results. Don’t forget to remind him that you are always there and will help him in any situation.
It is imperative to have a plan B, as well as plans C and D in case of an unforeseen situation. Research universities where you can apply, think through several options in case there are not enough points for admission. This could be a retake next year, the army, getting a job.
A backup plan is also needed in order to understand how to console the child and yourself if the exam is not passed successfully. There is no need to force the atmosphere, children are motivated enough at school, just remain a parent. And while preparing for and passing exams, help your children physically: ensure normal sleep, proper nutrition, and rest. Walk with your child more often. With such support, he will succeed.
Clench your fists
Let's start with the simplest thing - physical activity. Many people start pacing around the room when they are nervous. Running or exercise equipment are also excellent stress relievers. But when you are in an audience, as a rule, there is no opportunity to warm up, so just try to clench your fists tightly until your knuckles turn white, and then suddenly open your hands and straighten your fingers. Clench as you take a deep breath, open your fists as you exhale sharply. Focus on the movements of your hands: carefully watch how your fingers and muscles move, the color of your skin and the shade of your nails change. Do the exercise 10 times and stop, listen to the sensations - whether the anxiety and fear go away.
