Fear of Exams

About

A Fear of taking an exam is a genuine issue that can cause students to face stress, anxiety and stop you performing to your best ability when exam day arrives. It can cause you to avoid exam situation and disturb your sleep and daily routines affecting your mental health and cognitive ability. All students experience exam anxiety however in some cases this can become a fear or phobia which is an extreme respond placing your brain into stress mode, changing your brain’s normal function. It could be a fear of receiving a low mark in tests or exams, a fear of not being in control causing a brain fog, a fear of letting others down such as parents, carers, or the teachers, setting a very high target for once self adding to tension and pressure. These worries can add to the fear by creating a cycle of negative self-talk and being overwhelmed by the emotional response. It can lead to focusing on one subject or exam excessively or trying to do to much in all subject and you may experience:

• Raised heart rate
• Panic attacks or feeling overwhelmed
• Anxiety
• Feeling sick
• Lack of sleep
• Sweating
• Headaches
• Low school attendance
• Shortness of breath