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Exams and Revision

How to keep your family calm during exams

Now that exams have finally kicked off and your child is hopping from one to the next, it’s important to stay calm from the first to the last. If you and your teen can keep your cool throughout exam season, it’ll be easier for them to stay confident and capable right up until the last one. Here are 6 ideas to help every stay calm.

  1. Shared exam timetable
  2. Stationary at the ready
  3. Onwards and upwards
  4. Daily routine
  5. Sleep is sacred
  6. Relax!

Shared exam timetable

Your teen doesn’t need the extra stress of reminding you of their exam timetable. A great way to keep everyone organised is by sticking their exam timetable on the fridge, or somewhere else where you can all see. That way, you all know what’s happening when, and you can forward plan how they’re getting to and from each exam.

Stationary at the ready

Keep a checklist for exam stationary to pack the night before each one. That way, in the morning your teen can pick up their bag and get straight to the exam hall.

Onwards and upwards

It can be tempting for your teen to replay each exam in their head, wishing they’d answered some questions differently. And while it’s good to chat a bit about how it went, after the initial debrief, a good habit is to leave it behind so they can move on to the next one.

Even if they feel an exam went badly, remind them that what’s done is done, and the best thing is to give the next one their best shot. By focusing on what’s next, it’ll help keep them calmer and more motivated too.

Daily routine

With all the uncertainty of exams and pressure to do well, we can’t blame teens if they get a bit anxious. A great way to limit their worry and help them feel in control is to keep a regular routine each day. By sticking with the same times for dinner, TV, evening revision and bed time, they’ll feel more organised with their studies too. If you’re also feeling their exam stress, by sharing this routine you can come together and support each other too.

Sleep is sacred

If your child’s worried about their exam the next day, they might be tempted to stay up all night cramming. But as well as making it harder to remember things the next day, being underslept is also really bad for concentration and mood.
Try to encourage them to stop revising a couple of hours before bed time, so they can unwind and get the sleep they need to give their exam their all the next day.

Relax!

Getting out of the house as a family on the weekends can be a great antidote to exam pressure. You could take a picnic to the park, go for a long walk or catch a film at the cinema. Little things like this are a nice way to let everyone unwind, and make your teen feel supported no matter how they end up doing in exams.

At MyTutor, the great thing about our tutors is that they’re all academic high achievers, and they’re experts at nailing exams. With tuition all the way through exam season, your child can talk about anything that’s worrying them the night before, and be reassured by someone who knows exactly what they’re going through. Message your tutor or get in touch to find one today!

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