{"id":1887,"date":"2025-11-21T14:34:10","date_gmt":"2025-11-21T20:34:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/sas\/?p=1887"},"modified":"2025-11-21T14:34:10","modified_gmt":"2025-11-21T20:34:10","slug":"stress-less-for-exam-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/sas\/2025\/11\/21\/stress-less-for-exam-success\/","title":{"rendered":"Stress Less for Exam Success"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The stretch leading up to and during exams is a busy and stressful time for students. Here is a collection of tips to help get you organized and ready.<\/p>\n<h3>1. Preparation Reduces Stress<\/h3>\n<p><em>Organization and planning builds confidence and prevents last-minute stress.<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Make note of the exact time and location of your exam.<\/li>\n<li>Ask your professor for help on concepts you are unsure of.<\/li>\n<li>Prepare materials the evening before.<\/li>\n<li>Use planners or calendars to schedule study blocks and breaks.<\/li>\n<li>Set realistic goals.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>2. Healthy Routines Support Academic Success<\/h3>\n<ol><\/ol>\n<p><em>Healthy habits directly affect\u00a0cognitive performance.<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Aim for eight hours of sleep each night, turn off screens 30 minutes before bed, and establish a relaxing nighttime routine.<\/li>\n<li>Eat balanced meals, drink plenty of water, and pack healthy snacks for when you are on the go.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>3. Breaks &amp; Balance Improve Focus<\/h3>\n<p><em>Step away during studying to reset focus and productivity.<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Take short study breaks, aiming for 5-10 minutes about once an hour.<\/li>\n<li>Move your body.\u00a0Go for a walk, try yoga, or take a fitness class.<\/li>\n<li>Try mindfulness practices like deep breathing or grounding exercises when you are feeling overwhelmed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>4. Positive Mindset &amp; Self-Compassion<\/h3>\n<p><em>Be kind to yourself and reduce self-imposed pressure.<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Focus on progress, not perfection.<\/li>\n<li>Celebrate wins, big or small.<\/li>\n<li>Practice positive self-talk.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>5. Social Support is Important<\/h3>\n<p><em>Stay connected to supportive people during stressful periods.<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Reach out to family, friends, and campus resources if you need to talk or get help.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>6. A Healthy Perspective Post-Exam<\/h3>\n<p><em>Reset and move forward after the exam.<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Avoid overanalyzing every question, as you can&#8217;t change the result now.<\/li>\n<li>Focus on what went well.<\/li>\n<li>Do something to celebrate all your hard work.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Check out the sources below or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/sas\/current-students\/book-an-appointment-with-sas\/\">schedule a Student Accessibility Specialist <\/a>to learn more about how to put these tips into action.<\/p>\n<h4>Sources:<\/h4>\n<p>Watson, E. (2025, Aug 11).\u00a0<em>Managing Stress During Exam Season<\/em>. University of Waterloo.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/uwaterloo.ca\/students\/blog\/managing-stress-during-exam-season\">https:\/\/uwaterloo.ca\/students\/blog\/managing-stress-during-exam-season<\/a><\/p>\n<p>University of Guelph Student Wellness. (2022, Dec 5).\u00a0<em>Exam Season Self-Care Tips &amp; Resources.<\/em>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/wellness.uoguelph.ca\/news\/exam-season-self-care-tips-resources\">https:\/\/wellness.uoguelph.ca\/news\/exam-season-self-care-tips-resources<\/a><\/p>\n<p>McMaster University. (2022, Nov 8). 7 Tips for Navigating Exam Season.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/wellness.mcmaster.ca\/7-tips-for-navigating-exam-season\/\">https:\/\/wellness.mcmaster.ca\/7-tips-for-navigating-exam-season\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The stretch leading up to and during exams is a busy and stressful time for students. Here is a collection of tips to help get you organized and ready. 1. Preparation Reduces Stress Organization and planning builds confidence and prevents last-minute stress. Make note of the exact time and location of your exam. Ask your [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":561,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1887","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/sas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1887","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/sas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/sas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/sas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/561"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/sas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1887"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/sas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1887\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1888,"href":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/sas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1887\/revisions\/1888"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/sas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1887"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/sas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1887"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/sas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1887"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}