 I am Dr. Nujini Nopisiye, Assistant Professor from the Department of Psychology at Sock College. Welcome to the Psychology Department Episode 1 on Ace Your Exam with Confidence. Well, are you anxious, stressed or worried about how to prepare for your exam? Let us talk about 7 tips to prep and beat your exam stress. It is rightly said that the strength of a tea bag is known when it is put in hot water. It takes time to brew perfectly. Similarly, when you are put under pressure, your goals and aims are achieved simultaneously. You must know that it is perfectly normal to feel stressed during an exam. Actually, one perspective is that stress can benefit you in self-motivation and helps you achieve your goals. So don't be stressed about the stress but think of it as a good motivator. Let us take a look at 7 tips to prep and beat exam stress and by following these tips, it will help you to ace your exam with confidence. Tip 1. Organize your time. Make a schedule and plan which includes everything that you need to do such as topics to be covered, revision, your learning goals, eating, sleeping and relaxation time. Be realistic about your time allocations. Manage yourself for effective time management and plan judiciously. Prioritizing your time, subjects and workload will definitely help reduce your anxiety levels as you will be able to ensure that the really important stuff is covered and at the right time. Perceive positively, prepare prayerfully and pursue persistently. Most importantly, plan on your work and work on your plan. Tip 2. Declutter your study space. Decluttering and organizing the environment around us is an essential component to creating a clear, non-congested open space which will allow us to thrive when it comes to studying. Tip 3. Make positive affirmations. Perhaps this is easier said than done but try not to give yourself such a hard time. You are doing your best and that's the best you can do. Keep your eye on the bigger picture and remember that one failure result isn't the end of the world. Putting yourself under a lot of pressure can have a negative effect and as much as of a cliche as this is, worrying really doesn't solve anything. Being kind to yourself during periods of high anxiety is likely to give you a bit more motivation to work harder. So take a little time out from your revision and studying, pamper yourself and catch up with your nearest and dearest. Tip 4. Take breaks from social media. Keeping yourself away from social media during your exam period though this might seem hard, no doubt it will do wonders for your stress levels. Checking the latest updates on Instagram, Telegram, Twitter, Snapchat and the like while you are studying is the worst type of procrastination possible. As we all know, how quickly time disappears when we are swiping through our social feeds. Remember, many of your friends might be on the same board. Likewise, you are likely to be talking a lot about how much they are studying or not studying and simultaneously this is likely going to stress you out even more so or at least influence how much time you are spending in studying. Tip 5. Exercise and eat healthy. The idea of exercising during times of high stress feels like the last thing you would want to do but do you know that? Exercise gets your blood flowing and your heart pumping. It's a proven stress busters as it fills your brain with endorphins which are basically happy hormones. So once you stop working out, you can feel a lot more alert when you had been earlier. And remember that eating the right food during stressful times is also absolutely crucial for mental health and well-being. Tip 6. Get enough sleep. Psychologists say sleep is the essential most neglected factor among many students studying for exam and is crucial to help maintain a clear head and perform well. Many studies have also proven that by getting enough sleep, your memory recall will be much better. Last but not least, tip 7. Stick to your deadlines. Prioritize to study and do the important topics first. Allow more time for subjects that you find difficulty in understanding. Practice or study the subject which you don't like and try to figure out why you don't like the subject. Seek help from your teachers or enroll for a remedial and tutorial class and do not hesitate to ask your teachers. Set specific goals for each revision period. And remember, the more you are put in your testing times, the more you will learn. So if you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe so you are notified when a new episode is posted. Rate and review this podcast and share it with your friends. Thank you for listening and I hope you are living with some motivation and perks to help you deal with your exam stress. Wishing you the best of luck.