Okay, so it’s the day before an exam. It’s the perfect time to ready yourself so that you wake up on the day of the exam itself ready to give it your best shot.
How can you prepare before the big day?
Organise all your travel needs BEFORE the day of the exam
Don’t leave travel organisation to the last minute. Before the exam you need to check the time, date and location – and not just once, either.
Whenever you organise your travel, make sure that on the day of the exam you know where your exam hall is and how you’re going to get there. Ensure anyone like your family offering a ride is able to make good on their offer and you don’t need alternative arrangements. If you’re using public transport, make sure you have the money or transport ID you need. If your travel is likely to be affected by dodgy travelling conditions like weather or traffic jams, make sure you’re able to leave in good time and/or have a plan B.
Pack what you need for the day of the exam the night before
Pens, calculator, spare batteries? Whatever your teacher has told you you’re allowed to bring (or should bring), make a checklist of things to pack and tick it off as you go. That way, even if you’re flailing around in the morning trying to get ready, you know you’ve packed the essentials. Make sure that everything you’ve packed works, too.
Tip: If you need a candidate or centre number, double check this with your school, college or university before you head to the exam.
Aim to get enough sleep
If you’ve checked our exam stress advice, you’ll know how important sleep can be as an aid to feeling calm, fresh and relatively relaxed on the morning of exam day. You might benefit from having a bit more sleep than usual the night before an exam.
You can try natural sleep enhancement techniques like having a warm bath with Epsom salts or eating a handful of cherries an hour before bed, but really the key to getting enough sleep is:
- Aim for fairly regular sleep patterns the week before the exam, to give your body and brain a feeling of routine
- Go to bed at a reasonable time
- Go to bed full and hydrated, not hungry and thirsty
- Don’t allow your phone to become a timesink in the evening then wonder where the hours went. Looking at cute animals or conversations might take your mind off things, but it’s not as restful as sleep.
Wake up fresh on exam day
Set your alarm
The night before, you may want to set your alarm a little earlier than you need to so you don’t feel rushed.
Musical shower
When you rise from your bed on exam day, you want your mind and body to feel ready. So have a morning shower and either listen to music or sing while you’re showering. It helps your mind remember how to work again if you woke up feeling muggy. After some tunes and a bit of scrubbing you can come out of the shower with both your body and mind feeling zingy and fresh.
Wear suitable clothes
Wear something that’s clean, comfortable and suitable for the weather. Layering clothes is useful, because the exam hall might be chilly and air conditioned even if it’s boiling outside.
Eat breakfast to reduce exam nerves and motivate your mind
It’s important to get something down you on exam day, even if you’re feeling stomach butterflies and/or you’re not a breakfast person. Your brain and body need sustenance to perform at their best. A breakfast will help you concentrate and give you an energy boost. Eat what you like, but breakfast foods known to help with memory and concentration (and even feeling good) include peanut butter, eggs, bananas, yoghurt and nuts.
Read something to get the brain cells going
Cramming on the day isn’t considered to be that useful, but that’s up to you – some people say they feel reassured by flicking through their revision notes on the day of an exam, and some people feel it’s better for them to put the revision notes away and relax.
Whichever approach best works for you, a good way to warm up your brain and get it processing is to read something short that isn’t related to your exam subject. An article, a short story, even your social media feeds… it can help your brain wake up and feel ready to party.
Aim to arrive at the exam early
Arrive to the exam’s location a bit early and then you’ve got time to settle in. That gives you a chance to have some water or a snack and get comfortable with your surroundings. It also gives you a chance to go through any extra documentation you have on what is expected of you in terms of taking part in the exam. Aiming to be early also helps to reduce exam nerves because you don’t have to worry about your bus being cancelled or a traffic jam making you late.
