The Psychology of Exams: Understanding Your Mind During Exam Season

Hello future doctors. We all have had our fair share of stressful exams. Exams can feel like a mental battle: your heart races, your palms sweat, and no matter how much you’ve studied, you feel like you know nothing. Sounds familiar right? 

Whether it’s a postend, a viva, or your university exams, the psychology of exams plays a huge role in how you perform. It’s not just about how much you’ve studied; it’s about how well you handle the mental pressure of exams.

Let’s understand how our minds work during exams and, more importantly, how we can use it to our advantage.

Response to Stress: Fight, Flight, or Freeze

Exams are seen as a threat in most of our brains. So, naturally they trigger a stress response, When the pressure of exams hits, your brain enters fight, flight, or freeze mode:

• Fight: You become hyper-focused, sit on your desk and study continuously.
• Flight: You escape studying, procrastinate by watching TV series or just avoid studying altogether.
• Freeze: You feel paralyzed, unable to start or complete anything, even though you know the exam is approaching.

Recognizing how your brain reacts to exam stress can help you manage it better.
If you tend to procrastinate, read this blog.
And if you tend to feel struck/ don’t feel like studying at all, read this blog.

Exam Anxiety

Do you know why we feel anxious? Because a little anxiety actually helps you perform better. It increases your focus and makes you more alert. So, feeling anxious before an exam is normal.  But too much anxiety? That’s when things start going down.

Firstly, as a very anxious person myself, I understand. The fear of failure, the pressure to perform can get overwhelming. But managing it is important.

Here’s how you can manage some of your anxiety.

• Most of my anxiety comes from not knowing where I stand. So first things first – analyse how much you know. Create a schedule and stick to it.
• Deep breathing, meditation, or short walks work wonders. Try to calm your body down.
• Never imagine the worst scenarios. Try to picture yourself calmly and confidently answering questions. This can help shift your mindset from fear to confidence.

The Importance of Mindset: Fixed vs. Growth

You can combat anxiety sometimes by changing how you think. How you think about your exams can have a huge impact on how you perform. Psychologist Carol Dweck popularized the concept of fixed and growth mindsets. Here is what she talks about: 

• Fixed Mindset: You believe that your intelligence and abilities are absolute and will not change. Either you’re good at something, or you’re not. You feel like a failure when you do not perform well.
• Growth Mindset: You believe that intelligence and abilities develop through work and learning. You see exams as opportunities to improve, even if you don’t score very well on every exam.

You can watch the Ted-talk here: Carol Dweck – The Power of Believing That You Can Improve​

Switching to a growth mindset can help you feel less anxious. Instead of fearing exams as a test of your worth, view them as a way to learn and grow. 

Memory and Recall

You should try to understand how your brain processes and stores information so that you can recall better during exams. Here’s how you can use your time before exam better:

Instead of passively reading your notes, actively test yourself on the material. This forces your brain to look for information, strengthening the memory. This method is called ‘Active Recall’

Also, we tend to try and memorize everything the day before an exam. Although this might help you the next day, it does not really have any effect in the long term. Instead, you can try spaced repetition, where you read a particular topic quickly again and again over a time interval. This will help you memorize the material in your long term memory.

This way, you will also find it easier to recall information under the exam pressure. 

The Concept of Failure

One of the biggest mental hurdles during exams is the fear of failure. Students are often burdened with the expectations of their family, professors, or friends. It can get extremely overwhelming. 

What we need to do is, separate ourselves from these people and understand that we are different entities with our minds. Think for yourself at an individual level, instead of always thinking about what will please the people around you.

Instead of viewing failure as the end, see it as a learning opportunity. Rather than stressing about the results, focus on the effort you’re putting in. 

Be proud of yourself, be kind to yourself.

The Power of Breaks: Don’t Overload Your Brain

Long study sessions are a rookie mistake. Your brain isn’t designed to study for hours on end without a break. Burnout is real, and it can seriously affect your exam performance.

Instead, study for 25 minutes, then take a 5-minute break. After four cycles, take a longer break. This method helps keep your brain fresh and focused.

Moving around instead of sitting on your desk throughout the day also helps. Take a quick stretch or a walk around the house during the break.

Don’t give into the pressure of making every minute of your day productive.

Exam Day: Managing Your Nerves

Anxiety is natural on exam day, and even the best-prepared student can feel rattled. Here’s how to stay calm and focused:

Get to the exam centre early. Give yourself time to settle in and get comfortable. Rushing into the exam hall at the last minute only adds to your stress.

If you feel anxious, take a few deep breaths to calm your nervous system. Deep breathing can help slow your heart rate and reduce feelings of panic.

Calm yourself down. Remind yourself that you’re prepared. Replace negative thoughts like “I’m going to fail” with affirmations like “I’ve studied hard, and I can do this.”

Final Thoughts: Mastering the Mental Game of Exams

The psychology of exams is just as important as the content you’re studying. Understanding how your mind works under stress, and adopting the right mindset, can make a huge difference in your performance. 

Take your time, understand yourself and try to get as confident as you can before the exams are here.

Remember, exams are part of the journey, not the end-all-be-all. You’ve got this!