Guide to Exam support
Exams support for your child
What can parents and carers do to help your child with exam stress?
We've put together a list of strategies that may help young people to manage exam stress. We've also included some tips on how to help your child deal with stress on and after the exam day.
Effective study and learning habits
Parents and carers can help reduce the exam stress of their child by helping them establish effective study and learning habits:
Help your child find a quiet place to study without distractions. Make sure their table is uncluttered so they can focus better.
Encourage your child to find out exactly what the test involves - are there past test papers they can look at to help them understand what to expect?
Encourage your child to ask for help or ask their teacher for clarity if they are unsure of something or if they feel confused.
Help them to make 'mind maps' to collect ideas and summarise thoughts - use bright colours to help remember important links.
Help them to plan their study schedule early on so they have sufficient time to study. It can be helpful to develop a clear, realistic plan of what they want to cover in each study session. Can they break it down into small chunks?
Remind your child to take a short rest and move around in between each part of their study.
Offer help sometimes. It can be useful having someone to listen or practise with.
Healthy sleeping and eating habits
Encourage your child to stick to a routine of going to bed at a reasonable time. They need to avoid late night TV shows or movies.
Motivate them to eat regularly and make time to have fun and exercise.
Help them to cut back on coffee or any other stimulants which they may be using, as these can increase agitation. Encourage them to drink lots of water instead.
Remind them to take time out when they eat, rather than carrying on with study.
Encourage them to eat fresh fruit, veggies, cereals, grains, nuts and protein - they are all good for the brain and blood sugar levels.
Encourage them to eat when they get hungry. This keeps blood sugar and hydration levels steady.
Avoid junk food if possible. It will bring a sudden sugar high which will fall away quickly, leaving a person feeling tired.
Relaxation ideas to help your child cope with exam stress
Always encourage your child to relax before they go to bed after concentrating for long periods of time. Activities such as reading a short story may help them unwind and sleep better.
Encourage them to go out for a walk, run or do some other exercise they enjoy.
Teach them relaxation techniques such as listening to some gentle music, getting them to lie down, closing their eyes and taking a deep breath while visualising a calming scene such as a deserted beach.
Help your child to develop a positive mind set by encouraging them to visualise success - this can really help with self-confidence.
Avoid rushing on the day of the exam by organising and packing everything they need to take with them the night before.
Ideas for exam day
Talk about these ideas before exam day so as not to add to anxiety levels.
Suggest to your child that they:
Eat a good and light breakfast - something that will sustain them and help them concentrate.
Try to arrive at school or the exam venue early.
Keep away from people who may agitate them before the test or may say unhelpful, anxiety-provoking comments.
Try writing about their thoughts and feelings at least 10 minutes before the exam to free up brainpower from focusing on emotions, so they can focus on the test material instead.
Take time to slow their breathing and relax when they first sit down in the exam room.
Skim over the exam paper, underlining key words and instructions.
Work out how long they have for each question or section.
Watch out for the wording of the questions - they need to understand and address what the question is really asking.
Answer the questions they find easiest first to build their confidence, then as they relax more move on to more difficult ones.
Don't worry about how long others are taking but keep an eye on the clock to ensure they have enough time to answer the more difficult questions.
Re-read answers if possible and make any changes that are necessary - correct spelling, check workings.
Post-exam tip
If your child is not able to do well in the exam and they feel very upset about it, reassure them that there is always a second chance and passing an exam is only part of the story. It may be helpful to take some time to discuss any problems they had so they can avoid them next time.
