This post is all about what not to do right before an exam.
Are your final exams coming up? Did you already take them and want to know if anyone else was as stressed as you? I have definitely been stressed before an exam but let’s see who had it worse.
I am about to tell you what you definitely should not do right before an exam (because I did them and I do not recommend them).
The final exam season just ended for me and I was most definitely very stressed.
I was so stressed that I thought it would be a fun idea for me to share my experience with you and prevent you from making the same mistakes as I did.
Here are 9 things you should NOT do right before an exam.
This post is all about what not to do right before an exam.
Disclaimer
This blog post contains my personal opinion and is for informational purposes only. I will not be held responsible for any consequences that arise from reading this post. You, the reader, will read this content at your own risk. The contents of this post will not guarantee you your desired exam grade now will it guarantee you a diploma. All in all, just study for the exam and don’t stress about it.
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Let’s begin.
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9 Things Not To Do Right Before An Exam
1. Pick Up An Extra Shift at Work
I have no idea why I decided to pick up a shift literally the day before my exam.
I really did just want more money but at the same time, why would I do that to myself?
It wasn’t until 7:00 pm when I got off work that night and my exam was at 8:30 the next morning.
If you are like me and need money but have an exam coming up soon, for the love of Oreos, DO NOT PICK UP THAT SHIFT.
Unless you’re actually good at time management and have already studied days in advance.
You have no idea how stressed I was while I was at work and I couldn’t do my job to the best of my ability.
Also, I had less time to study for my exam the night before because I was working. It was all sorts of bad time management for sure.
2. Eat 10 Oreos for Dinner the Night Before
I had leftover Oreos in my pantry and I love Oreos.
Since it was right after I had gotten off work, I was hungry and stressed about my exam.
So, I decided to get straight into studying and grab something quick to eat. I ended up finishing the pack of Oreos.
My brain was not properly fueled for my exam. I was also super tired while I was studying despite the amount of sugar I had just devoured.
If you are hungry and need a late-night snack while you study, you should go for healthier options like fruit. Oreos are not healthy whatsoever. They’re tasty, but not healthy.
I personally like Fuji Apples and crunchy style peanut butter but I didn’t have those the night before my exam so that was just unfortunate.
3. Not Eat Breakfast
I forget to eat breakfast almost every single day and I have been told that if you normally don’t eat breakfast, then don’t change your routine right before the exam.
It might change your bowel movements, or daily body routine, or something, I don’t know.
But I would still recommend you eat breakfast, preferably every day or most days, just because your brain does need food and beverages to function to the best of its ability.
A little something is better than nothing.
Me saying this does NOT mean for you to eat 5 bags of chips and let that be breakfast.
Lol, I eat lucky charms though so that’s almost just as bad.
So, eat a little something to start off your morning right. Your grades will skyrocket.
4. Stay Up Late the Night Before
I absolutely despise staying up late. It makes me feel terrible and unmotivated the next morning.
My goal is to be in bed by 9 pm and asleep by 10 pm every single night.
The goal is earlier the night before I go to work.
But for some reason (obviously I know the reason), I keep staying up till 10 or 11 pm the night before an exam to study and make sure I covered everything that I thought needed to be covered.
And even by 10 or 11 pm, I still feel unprepared but I know that I need sleep so I stop studying.
On average I get about 6-7 hours of sleep the night before exams. But I should be getting 8-9 hours of sleep to feel well-rested.
I know that feeling tired makes your brain and head feel a little fuzzy (because it happens to me.) It also slows down your focus and thought process significantly.
If you don’t have this problem then I envy you.
So, get enough sleep because you actually do need it. A lack of sleep is actually setting yourself up for some failure.
5. Not Prep Your Backpack the Night Before
This was probably the biggest mistake I had for the night before an exam.
After I finished studying that night, I just turned my laptop off, put my papers in their binder, washed up, and went to bed.
The next morning, I had to put my binder, my pencil pouch, phone, wallet, chargers, and anything else I needed in my backpack.
It was around 7:00 am when I realized that I didn’t even have a calculator for my exam. (For percent yield equations.)
I was looking all over my house for my calculator but it never showed.
I also looked for a spare one and hoped that one of my other family members had an extra but literally no one had a calculator.
It was a last-minute decision to leave my house at 7:30 am to buy a new calculator at Walmart.
Because I didn’t prep my backpack and supplies the night before, I wasn’t able to spend my morning reviewing for the exam AND I added even more stress to my body and mind than I already had.
If I had packed the night before, I would have realized that I didn’t have a calculator sooner and planned accordingly.
You should pack your backpack the night before so that you know what you do and don’t have. If you want to be extra, pack two days in advance.
6. Not Reviewing the Material Days in Advance
There are some people that I’ve met who hardly ever study. They just learn the material once, take the exam, and pass.
But HOW?
My mind does not work that way and I have to be studying in advance to learn the material, understand the material, and apply the material without extra help to remember it.
But guess what I didn’t do? I didn’t review the material days prior to the exam.
I waited until after 7:00 pm when I got off work the night before the exam.
Let me tell you that 3 hours of cram studying did not feel like enough.
I was tired. I had a hard time understanding certain sections of my lessons. And I really wanted to cry.
Luckily, I had been paying attention all semester and tried to learn, understand, and apply the information as best as I could the first time that I was exposed to the information.
It worked for lessening my study needs (but only a little bit).
So, I guess I sort of study in advance.
But the days in advance studying that I am talking about is consistently reviewing every single day leading up to the exam.
Studying this way will engrave the information into the brain and you will forever know the material. (I used to study this way in high school and college wrecked me.)
This method would do you wonders.
7. Distract Yourself with Social Media
Social media is literally my downfall in everything I do.
It’s so easy for me to hop onto Instagram and scroll through reels for hours and hours and not realize how quickly my time goes by.
It got to the point where whenever I needed to study, I would get bored and open Instagram and say that I would scroll for 5 minutes but actually scroll for an hour.
I deleted Instagram that night before my exam.
Instagram is also most likely the reason why I did not study days in advance because I would rather scroll and watch fun videos than study for the exam.
I also knew I had days to study so I really pushed back my studying until the last minute.
Instagram is going to be deleted for a while. I might not even redownload it ever again.
I highly recommend you find a way to limit your social media (any social media other than Instagram can be applied.)
A lot of us don’t realize how much of our valuable time is being used up because we decided to be consumers. Time is money.
You’ll get so much more done without social media. Who cares about what other people are doing anyway.
You may also like Why You Need To Delete Social Media Right Now
8. Show Up Late
With this recent exam, I actually wasn’t late. I was 30 minutes early.
I was so stressed about my calculator and the traffic getting to the school that I left my house about an hour before my exam would have started. (The school is about 20 minutes from my house. )
I’m really glad I showed up early though because I was able to spend the next 30 minutes calming myself down and relaxing so that I could go into the exam with a clear mindset.
Normally, I would be heavily cramming up to 30 seconds before the exam but if I did study enough then I saved myself 30 minutes of stress.
If I did not study enough, then I would get a low grade and move on.
9. Stress
This tip is really important because you have to remember that this exam grade isn’t the end of the world.
I know a handful of people that have failed multiple exams and still got their diplomas. Just remember that the end goal is getting the diploma. (With a respectable GPA of course).
It’s proof that you took the time to get an education and expand your knowledge for future success in whatever career you decide to go into.
It represents your educational accomplishments and whenever you get there, you will be proud despite whatever grade you get on this next exam.
Sure, if it’s a bad grade then you’re going to feel bad. If it’s a good grade then you’re gonna feel good. But in the end, everything will be okay because you got that diploma.
I’m sure that if you’re reading this blog post right now, you are a motivated and intelligent student because you care.
You probably aren’t going to fail your classes. You might get a low grade, but you won’t fail.
It took me 2 years of college to figure that out.
So, save yourself the hassle and stop stressing so much. You’re doing great.
Ending Note
These 9 do not do’s may seem minor to you but trust me, my head hurt so bad that morning of the exam.
In case you were wondering, I ended up getting an A on the exam so that’s good. Maybe doing all these things actually helped me?
I’M KIDDING, please do not do any of the things that I listed above.
I’m sure if I made different decisions, I would have saved myself a lot of stress and would have been more productive in other areas of my life such as keeping up with my health and housekeeping.
I hope you enjoyed the read and let me know how your final exam experience went in the comments below. (A past experience is always fun to share too.) Good day!
This post was all about what not to do right before an exam.
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