Exam stress

Exams, regardless of whether they’re at school, university/college or for professional qualifications, can be stressful. 

Hours of preparation and revision, along with coursework to be handed in, pressure to succeed on the day itself, and waiting for the results to come through can all combine to make you feel worried, stressed or even depressed.  And parents, guardians and friends can find it every bit as hard. So Samaritans have some suggestions to make it just a bit more bearable.

It’s natural to feel anxious about something that could have such a big impact on your future path, particularly if it’s something that you’ve been working towards for months or years.  A certain amount of adrenaline isn’t a bad thing to help you to perform on the day itself, but it might make it harder to achieve the results you want. Learning how to recognise when you're under stress is one of the first steps towards dealing with it.

In this section you'll find information about how to recognise stress, what you can do about it, and other sources of support.