Spring 2012

  

Final Exam Stress

Preparation for exams truly begins when the course begins.  Good study habits, time management, frequent review of the material and, if possible, relating the studies to everyday life will go a long way toward preparing your student for his/her final exam.

Exam anxiety is the most common concern of students at this time of year.  It is important to recognize that feeling anxious is normal before any big event e.g. before writing an exam.  Nervousness indicates alertness, and that your mind and body are prepared for some kind of action.  Anxiety can even help a person to prepare to meet the challenge at hand.  If, however, anxiety gets too overwhelming, it can be a concern. Encourage your son or daughter to visit the Student Wellness Centre for help with this issue.  There are, however, some helpful tips to follow to cope with anxiety:

First, accept anxiety as a normal occurrence. Everyone has anxiety even though it may not appear that way. Being human means at some point you will have anxiety. Being completely free of anxiety should not be one’s goal. The goal should be to manage anxiety so that it doesn't run one’s life.

Second, learning and practicing preventative strategies: get enough sleep, eat healthy food, reduce caffeine intake, exercise, or meditate. All of these reduce one’s susceptibility to being overwhelmed by anxiety.

Third, when facing new or threatening situations, PREPARE, PREPARE, PREPARE!
Occasionally, lack of preparation and/or lack of motivation/interest and other personal worries may contribute to difficulties in preparing for and eventually writing exams.  Students should visit their academic advisor if they have grave concerns about their ability to perform up to their ability due to personal concerns.  Once an exam is written i.e. he/she puts pen to paper so to speak, the results are final.  It is, therefore imperative that any action be taken prior to writing the exam. 

Finally, learn to have faith. As someone so aptly said "being general manager of the universe is hard and exhausting work!" We simply cannot control everything. All of us need to learn to do what we can do … and then have faith that things will work out for the best.
The final exam schedule is available to students on their MUGSI/SOLAR.

  

  

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