Handling exam-week stress: what helps before, during and after an exam

If your stomach is in knots this week, you're in very good company. Exam stress is one of the most common things Year 12 students feel, and it doesn't mean you're not coping or not ready. This page is the short, practical version for exam week. For a deeper look at mental health across Year 12, read our longer guide to exam stress, anxiety and looking after yourself.

Need to talk to someone now?

• Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800, free, 24/7, including from a mobile. Webchat at kidshelpline.com.au.
• headspace: online chat or phone on 1800 650 890, 3pm to 10pm your local time, free and confidential.
• Beyond Blue Support Service: 1300 22 4636 (free counselling; local call costs apply), 24/7, or free webchat at beyondblue.org.au.
• In an emergency or if you're in danger: call 000.

What exam stress looks like

Kids Helpline describes exam stress showing up in the body, like trouble sleeping, feeling sick in the stomach, headaches and muscle tension, fidgeting, nail-biting and teeth grinding. It can also be mental or emotional: feeling confused, irritable or overwhelmed, lacking motivation, and pulling back from family, friends and things you usually enjoy.

It also points out that pressure sometimes helps keep you focused. The goal isn't zero nerves. It's keeping them at a level where you can still think, sleep and study.

In the days before

These are the basics headspace and Kids Helpline both come back to:

• Sleep. Kids Helpline says don't skip sleep to study, and headspace says enough sleep helps your energy, concentration and ability to cope with stress.
• Eat properly and move. headspace suggests food that fuels your body, and staying active: a walk, the gym with friends, stretching.
• Take real breaks. headspace suggests 40 to 60 minutes of study, then a 5 to 10 minute break, as a starting point.
• Have a plan, then trust it. A realistic plan with breaks and catch-up time (headspace's advice) stops the "I should be doing everything at once" spiral. Our last 7 days revision plan is one way to do it.
• Keep it in perspective. Kids Helpline notes that if you don't do as well as you hope, there are so many different ways to reach your future study and work goals. That's true. There are lots of pathways after Year 12.
• Ask for help early. headspace suggests asking teachers for feedback on practice exams and not leaving questions until the last minute.

On the morning

headspace suggests keeping your usual routine, getting there a bit early, and doing something that brings your stress down, such as breathing exercises, calling someone you love or listening to calming music. Our night before and exam morning checklist covers the practical side, so you don't have logistics to worry about too.

In the exam room

If a wave of panic hits:

1. Pause. Pen down for a moment. That's allowed.
2. Breathe out slowly. Breathe in gently, then breathe out for longer than you breathed in. Do it a few times.
3. Plant your feet and notice the desk, the chair, the sound of the room.
4. Restart small. Go to a question you felt good about, or just write the first line of your plan.

If you feel unwell, raise your hand and tell the supervisor. Every state's exam rules have a process for illness during an exam, and telling the supervisor at the time is usually an important part of it.

After a paper that went badly

It happens to almost everyone at some point.

• Don't post-mortem it straight away. Comparing answers outside the room tends to make people feel worse, not better.
• Remember how you feel isn't the mark. Lots of students walk out sure they did badly and are pleasantly surprised.
• Park it and reset. Eat, rest, do something you enjoy, then turn to the next exam.
• If illness or something serious affected you, there's an official process in your state. Talk to your school quickly, because the evidence usually has to be collected at the time.

When it's more than exam stress

headspace says that if exam stress is making you feel overwhelmed, you should seek support from headspace, a counsellor, or a helpline such as Kids Helpline or Beyond Blue. Reach out if:

• you can't sleep, eat or study properly for days at a time;
• you feel overwhelmed, panicky or hopeless most of the time;
• you're having thoughts of hurting yourself.

If you're having thoughts of hurting yourself, or you're in danger, call 000 or Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 now. You don't have to wait until exams are over, and you don't have to have the right words. The counsellors are used to taking exactly this call.

Free support, all in one place

• Kids Helpline (for young people): 1800 55 1800, free and 24/7, phone or webchat. You can choose the gender of the counsellor you speak to.
• headspace: online and phone support on 1800 650 890 (3pm to 10pm local time), plus headspace centres around Australia. headspace's Work and Study programs also support 15 to 25 year olds with study, for free.
• Beyond Blue Support Service: 1300 22 4636 or webchat, 24/7, confidential. Counselling is free (local call costs apply by phone).
• Your school: a counsellor, wellbeing coordinator, year adviser or a teacher you trust.