Handling Stress Before Exams (Medical Students)

As you prepare for your exams, it's important to care not just for your academic performance, but also for your mental and physical wellbeing. The thoughts that follow are offered from personal experience and professional insight, with the hope that they will support you in managing stress and performing at your best.

A certain level of anxiety before and during examinations is both natural and beneficial. In fact, it can enhance your focus, improve your ability to study, and optimise your performance. It is a signal that you care about doing well and that you are engaged with the task at hand.

However, when anxiety becomes excessive, it can have the opposite effect. It may lead to overwhelming fear, memory blocks, reduced comprehension, difficulty concentrating, and distressing physical symptoms such as a rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, and sweating.

To help manage and reduce anxiety, I offer the following advice:

Strategies to Support Your Wellbeing and Performance

• Pace your study throughout the year. Avoid cramming and aim for steady, consistent learning.
• Keep your notes and revision timetable organised. It is important to accept that you cannot give equal time or attention to every topic. You may not have the opportunity to revise everything in detail—and that is completely normal. No one, not even your examiners, knows everything comprehensively. Be strategic: choose what to study, how deeply to go into it, and what you may need to leave out.
• Align your study with the format of the exam. Make use of past papers if available.
• Take conscious control of your thoughts. Challenge anxious or negative thoughts with calm, positive ones. Remind yourself that worrying about things beyond your control drains emotional energy and does not improve your performance. If you are a person of faith, prayer may be a powerful way to find peace and perspective.
• Prioritise sleep. Avoid staying up too late or waking up too early to study. Do not feel guilty for resting—sleep is an essential part of your preparation and wellbeing.
• Limit stimulants. Reduce your intake of coffee, tea, energy drinks and cola, particularly in the evening, as these can interfere with the restorative sleep your body and mind require.
• Balance study with rest and recreation. Take regular breaks. Spend time with people you care about, engage in physical activity, enjoy nature, take a shower, and eat nourishing food. These things are not luxuries; they are essential to your effectiveness and resilience.

On the Day Before and the Day of the Exam

• The night before the exam, prioritise rest. Gently revise core themes, but resist the urge to cover everything. Your psychological state on the day of the exam is far more important than cramming late into the night.
• Confirm the details. Double-check the time and location of your exam, and allow extra time to account for unexpected delays.
• Dress smartly and comfortably. Feeling physically comfortable contributes to confidence and composure.
• Aim to do your best—not to be perfect. Be assured that your examiners want to see you succeed. If you have engaged consistently with your studies, you are in a strong position to do well.

A special word to medical students: Your examiners understand that your knowledge and clinical experience are still developing. What they are looking for is not perfection, but evidence that you have a sound understanding of the subject, and—most importantly—that you are caring, sensible, and safe in your approach to patient care.

On a personal note, I used to entrust my preparation, the exam itself, and the outcome to God in prayer. One Bible verse that gave me strength was: “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). I often kept this verse on a small card and read it repeatedly for comfort and reassurance.