The Ultimate Last-Minute Exam Stress Checklist: What Schools Need to Do Now
Exam season is here, and schools are facing a familiar challenge—students overwhelmed by stress, last-minute panic, and self-doubt.
Without a structured approach, this stress can lead to poor performance and increased anxiety. But with the right strategies, schools can help students stay calm, focused, and prepared.
The Last-Minute Exam Stress Checklist
There are many benefits to creating a last-minute exam stress checklist for your students ahead of time.
You may like to create a student-focussed Infographic to give learners a quick visual to refer to as they go through the exam season.
🔹 Create a calming exam environment – Make sure your invigilators and exam officers create a calming atmosphere in the exam room. Introduce students to the space beforehand so they have no surprises on exam day. Make sure everyone knows how to create the right atmosphere for the learners to do their best.
🔹 Teach quick stress-reduction techniques – Set up your students for success ahead of time with tried and tested stress management exercises that work. Include a variety of techniques: (Breathing exercises, grounding visualisations, self-talk) so students can pick and mix what works best for them. Provide lots of opportunities for students to have a go at different ideas, by themselves, with others and in guided sessions for support.
🔹 Encourage structured revision – Show your students how to avoid cramming and include good study processes instead. Teach your students how to make good study notes to help with revision and recall. No one benefits from last minute learning as our brains need time to absorb information and make sense of it. It’s why lessons build on one another and reinforce what’s gone before. No one will work to their best when they pull a series of late-nighters!
🔹 Address emotional wellbeing – Acknowledge students' feelings and provide reassurance. Let them know the support systems you have in place and reduce the stigma around asking for help. Discuss the importance of building exam resilience and show them how to develop their own strategies to handle stress. Mental Health support is an essential part of successful exam preparation
🔹 Have a go-to plan for exam-day nerves – Simple pre-exam routines build confidence. Help students practice their readiness for exams. Build in time to try out stress management exercises so they have their favourites to turn to when nerves kick in. Go over easy to follow strategies to help guide them through exam day such as exercises to calm breathing, settling nerves before the exam and visualising success.
The more confident they are in managing their feelings, the less overwhelming exam day nerves will be.
Having the right resources makes all the difference. The Exam Stress Bundle gives schools ready-to-use lesson plans, student workbooks, and infographics to help students manage stress effectively.
💡 Get your copy today and give your students the best chance to succeed! 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.