It’s January and the meaning of that for many students is ‘mocks’; the difficult, agonizing week(s) that we just aren’t ready for. But how do we get through them without failing or having a meltdown?

Many people just give you the meaningless “just keep calm in the exam” but how can you do that when you see a 16 mark question staring back at you phrased in a way that does not seem like it is from the English language?

Here are a few steps that might just make that excruciating week a bit more bearable: 1. Calm your breathing – this may seem obvious but when you’re halfway through an exam and realise you’re running out of time, your heart starts to race and your breathing starts to get heavier and faster. Although it is important to look at the clock during the exam, don’t do it every minute that you start stressing yourself out. Give yourself little checkpoints every 10 to 15 so you can manage your time without panicking. And if you do find yourself in that anxious position where you feel like you’re running out of time, stop and gather your thoughts.

2. Think positive – it might be your first time doing some subjects in your new course in proper exam conditions so it is common to feel like you’re not going to do well. If you feel negative then it will affect your exam performance so think to yourself during the exam “I’m gonna try my best at this and I can do it”, then you will!

3. Make sure you get a good amount of sleep every night – although you may feel like it is more beneficial if you stay up late revising, it really isn’t as nothing is going to go into your brain if you are half asleep – there is really no point at all! Similarly, you don’t want to feel so drained the next morning that you struggle to keep your eyes open during the exam.

4. If you are at home and feeling stressed, take a break – it is highly recommended by psychologists to go for a brisk walk for ten minutes a day to improve your mood and lift your spirits, it also takes you away from the atmosphere of revision so you feel calm and relaxed. If you don’t want to go out, download a meditation app on your phone. Apps like Headspace and Hear and Now take only 10 minutes of your time and make you feel very peaceful after each session. You can even do it whilst sitting down with a cuppa and biscuit!

5. Have a good meal before the exam – usually if your exam is in the morning it is important to have breakfast. You don’t want your stomach to be rumbling while you’re writing as it can distract you and you won’t have as much energy!

Even though the upcoming exams are just practice for the real ones, many students can become anxious that these are an exact picture of how they’re going to do in the summer so put an immense amount of pressure on themselves. These small steps may seem obvious but I hope they can be helpful to you when they’re followed!

Erin Taylor, Coloma Convent girls’ School