How to Help Students Overcome Exam Panic and Perform at Their Best
Every year, schools see bright students struggle with exam panic—racing hearts, blank minds, and overwhelming fear. What if schools could equip students with simple, strategies to manage panic and stay in control?
Key Strategies to Overcome Exam Panic
- Recognising early signs of panic – Hold a session for staff to remind them how to spot signs that students are struggling with exam pressures. Everyone will demonstrate this in different ways. You’re looking for evidence that is ‘out of the norm’ for different individuals. Remind students that you are there to support them and will respond to anything you find concerning.
- Timetable in Dealing with Panic as High Importance – Many schools stress subject skills over handling panic skills. Without strategies to manage fear, students won’t be able to access their learning. Build in time for students to understand how to manage the mental side of exam preparation, and get all your staff up to speed on your choice of exam stress strategies so everyone supports student mental health and wellbeing at exam time.
- Deliver a lesson on handling panic attacks – Talk to students about practical ways to ease the result of panic. The goal is to give them a number of ways to slow down the evidence of panic. Show students how to switch off the Cortisol triggered by their fear, to help them feel more in control when anxiety strikes
- Show students how to take control of their own panic. Knowledge is power for your students, and when they feel more in control, they’ll feel calmer about handling their feelings. Do your research and invest in an exam stress management programme you can use in this and subsequent year groups. Make sure it includes an easy to share lesson plan, and other supporting resources such as workbooks, infographics and mp3s.
- Encourage positive self-talk – Share a lesson on how we talk to ourselves to explain the negative result of some self-talk. Begin a discussion on Identity –how we see ourselves and react to often false stories that we’ve come to believe. This is the perfect time to introduce a form of neutral self-talk to break down the truths/untruths we hold about ourselves and our potential
Want to help your students stay calm, focused, and confident? The Exam Stress Bundle includes easy-to-implement strategies, classroom resources, and resilience-building exercises designed for schools.
📚 Grab your bundle today and start making a difference!
www.geraldinejozefiak.com/exam-stress-bundle
I work with schools to prepare their students for the mental challenge of exams and offer 1-day workshops in schools. Want me to work with your staff on Exam Stress and Thinking Skills? Contact me at [email protected] for details.