Anxiety about Examinations

Yes, hypnotherapy can help overcome examination anxiety. The students I see for this problem have revised thoroughly. They could write excellent answers if they were at home. But in a real exam they are overwhelmed by anxiety.

All the normal symptoms that would occur in a really dangerous situation, like sweating, tremor, rapid breathing, muscle tension, as I I describe HERE . This is called the fight or flight response. They need to sit and think, but all their brain and body wants to do is run away!

Get enough sleep the night before the exam, and avoid social media and anything that arouses emotions. Avoid being with other anxious students immediately before the exam. Arrive well before the start of the exam. Avoid coffee and other stimulants. Dress comfortably to stay cool.

Seeing other students leaving early triggers two negative ideas. “She’s finished already and I’m not halfway through, I must be doing really badly!” or “He’s given up in despair!” Watching the invigilators walking up and down, especially when they come up behind you.

Remind yourself that the invigilators are helping you by ensuring that no one gains an unfair advantage by cheating. If someone leaves early, remind yourself that you don’t know why they left. If someone writes much faster than you, remind yourself that the markers are looking for quality not quantity of words.

Yes, very often. Nowadays colleges and universities offer help for this specific issue. For example, the University of Exeter offers special arrangements regarding examinations for students with particular problems, so be sure to inquire about this if you’re at the University.
See their exams and assessments page here.

Hypnotherapy can teach you how to control your reactions, turning down the “fight or flight response” so you’re not distracted by anxiety symptoms. Hypnotherapy can also help you sleep better the night before the examination. It can also help you focus better and retrieve information from your memory. Hypnotherapy and psychotherapy can also help you overcome negative past experiences around learning and education, especially for mature students.

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Anxiety around examinations may result from a bad experience at one particular exam, which maybe came at a time when you were already very stressed for other reasons. Or there may be other things going on in your life right now, and the extra stress of the exam is just “the icing on the cake.”

For some people the problem could have deeper roots, for instance if parents or teachers have told them that they are stupid. There is strong scientific evidence that people tend to behave as others expect them to behave. This even applies to intelligence tests. Our beliefs about ourselves have a very powerful effect on us.

Yes, I’ve helped people pass the driving test who have previously failed repeatedly. For more about hypnotherapy to overcome this problem, click HERE.