Do you have to contend with a racing heart, a plummeting stomach, sweaty hands or all three every time you walk into an examination hall? Does sitting for an exam wipe your mind clear of all the facts, figures and concepts you had so painstakingly learnt? If the answer is yes, you are suffering from exam anxiety. But fear not, you can overcome your troubles with a little help from Brown University in Rhode Island, US. This Ivy League institution’s website has plenty of tips on how to tackle exam anxiety.

The most important thing you need to learn is what to do when anxiety strikes you during the exam. The exercise outlined in the Brown University website is very simple, so simple that you would be justified in doubting its efficacy. Nevertheless, there are many students who will swear to its effectiveness in lowering anxiety levels to helpful rather than debilitating. Just close your eyes and breathe in slowly to the count of seven. Then exhale slowly to the count of seven. Continue breathing in and out to the count till you feel your body relax. It can take up to four sequences to work. Then open your eyes and give yourself a pep talk —something on the lines of how you are sure to do well because of the hard work you have put in. Then roll your shoulder, stretch you legs and arms, open and close your fists and, finally, attack the question paper.

Read and answer each question carefully, do not rush through the paper to make ample time to revise. While revision is important, nervous examinees have been known to change correct answers to wrong ones while rechecking.

Do not keep on checking the time and worrying that it will run out. Concentrate on answering the questions to the best of your ability; being unable to answer a few questions is better than answering all of them in a hurry and getting many of them wrong.

There are also a few things you can do before entering the exam hall to keep your test anxiety in check. First, try to figure out the possible cause. Exam anxiety is usually caused by fears, both realistic and unrealistic. The realistic fears — such as not being prepared or being scared of failure —can be addressed; put in more work, learn to manage your time and confront the fear of failure. It is the unrealistic fears — such as doubts regarding your intelligence or fear of others thinking you a dim bulb — that are harder to handle. Here are a few more things you can do to help with exam anxiety.

Learn to put things in perspective. While the upcoming exam is quite important, your entire future does not depend on it. Regardless of your performance, you will not be putting your life or that of a loved one at risk.

Remind yourself of past successes. Your term exams may have gone badly but you did score well last year. That means you can ace this exam too if you put in the hard work you did not put in earlier.

Visualise completing the exam successfully. Imagine the day of the exam vividly — from the time you wake up till the moment you finish the exam. Keep seeing yourself succeed. Remind yourself that a little anxiety helps you perform better.

Give yourself mock tests. They will not only help you learn better but will also give you the opportunity to practise controlling your anxiety.

Get a good night’s sleep for several days before the exam. Enough sleep improves your ability to both think clearly and deal with anxiety.