No matter how much you have studied, everyone gets those jitters on the day of the exam.

Moreover, if you are nervous it is actually a good sign.

It means you have studied everything, but are not sure whether you will be able to write everything down correctly, which makes you nervous.

Very few students are not nervous for their exams.

They are either too sure that they are going to clear with flying colors, or they are very sure they are going to fail since they haven’t studied anything.

Either way, the number of these kinds of students are very few.
95% of students get nervous before an exam, during the exam, and after the exam (while awaiting the results).

And let me tell you something, these exam jitters are very normal.
It’s OK to be Nervous.

After all, we are humans and are bound to have these emotions.

BUT you should not make silly mistakes because of this nervousness.

What I mean is, don’t be so nervous about your exam, that;

You forget to write the correct question number or you make an error in writing your roll number or you miss out on tying up the supplements, etc.

That is why you need to Keep Calm.

Mistakes like not writing the correct roll number etc. can be very disastrous at times.

So, though a little nervousness is good, becoming too scared might lead to mistakes that could have otherwise been avoided.

The objective of this article is to provide you with an exam day checklist so that you don’t make these silly mistakes.

This checklist will also indirectly help you in keeping calm and not becoming too nervous.

Table of Contents

1. Admit Card
2. Drink Less Water
3. Kuch meetha ho Jaye…. (Let’s have something sweet)
4. Carry your stationery in pairs
5. Listen to Instrumental Music, if you are getting too nervous
6. Pray before you start writing the paper

Just keep one thing in mind, you have prepared as much as you could, don’t screw up the execution.

Ultimately no matter how many hours you have put in, studying, everything boils down to how you perform on the day of the exam.

When the examiner gets your paper, he/she will be forming an impression of you by the answers you have written.

You don’t know the paper checker and he does not know you.

Everything you have studied and everything you worked for, should be reflected in your answer paper.

That is why your state of mind while writing the paper has to be absolutely calm.

A little thing that helps me is;

I imagine that I am sitting in an empty room while writing the paper.

By doing this, I am blocking all the distractions coming from the other students, the traffic noise outside, etc.

Moreover, when you do this, you can completely focus on writing the paper and you are very less likely to commit silly mistakes.

So, without further ado let’s KEEP CALM and FOLLOW THE CHECKLIST.

#01 Admit Card

Don’t Forget to carry your admit card to the exam hall. Period!

I am sure you know that your admit card or ID card is very important.
This helps the authorities identify the student appearing for the exam.

You need to understand the core objective of issuing the Admit card.

In most cases, the exam authorities issue a unique ID or number after checking your records.

In this way, any possibility of appointing a proxy to write a student’s exam is prevented. So, your ID is checked, before you enter the examination hall.

When you forget your admit card, there is no way for the authorities to verify your identity.

You may be allowed to write the exam, but there will be a lot of time waste and the exam timing will not be postponed for you.

More than anything else, you will become extremely nervous when you realize that you have forgotten you admit card.

Even if you are allowed to appear for the exam and you have not lost a lot of time, you will be very nervous due to the whole situation.

In this state of mind, you are most likely to make mistakes.

So, how do you NOT forget to carry your admit card?

Here are some tips:

• Take a few photocopies of your ID and keep it in the bag you are planning to take for the exam.
  
  So, in the worst-case scenario even if you do forget your admit card, you have an alternative solution.
  
  Of course, a photocopy will not be as good as the original.
  But something is definitely better than nothing.

• Try to memorize your Unique ID number.
  
  It always helps to know your UID by-heart.
  
  If the exam authorities have the relevant automations in place, and you have forgotten or misplaced your ID, a new one can be issued if you know your UID number.

• Use manifestation techniques.
  
  See yourself, keeping your ID in your bag, or showing it to the invigilator.
  
  You can also keep reminding yourself to carry the hall ticket or admit card whatever you call it.

• Lastly, ask someone (either your friend or family members) to remind you.
  
  But, don’t depend completely on their reminder, because they might also forget.
  
  As a saving resort, someone could remind you, but you should follow the first 3 points and carry your admit card without fail.

#02 Drink Less Water

The average duration of any exam is generally two hours.

You might want to use the washroom during this period.
In many cases, using the washroom is allowed with some restrictions.

But you are not going to be given those 10-15 minutes of extra time that you have actually spent as a bio break.

That is why you need to be equipped to sit through those two or three hours without having to use the washroom facilities.

The very first thing you need to remember is, “Drink Less Water”.

I know water is important to hydrate, but if you drink a lot of water just before the exam, then you might need a bio break while writing the exam.

This would waste your precious time of writing the paper and you may not be able to complete it on time.

So, on the day of your exam, take small sips of water so that you stay hydrated.

At the same time, take care that you don’t gulp down too much to have to go to the washroom and waste time.

#03 Kuch meetha ho Jaye…. (Let’s have something sweet)

 While travelling to the exam hall or before you leave your home, you should have something sweet.

A very widely practiced tradition in India to have sweet curd (Dahi shakkar), before any important event.
If you are from India you know what I am talking about.

Well, most of the traditions and customs we practice have a very logical scientific reason behind it.

When a person is stressed, the brain needs more energy. This energy is obtained by the brain from the glucose intended for the fat and muscle cells which leads to the secretion of more stress hormones.

By eating or drinking something sweet, you are giving your brain the energy it needs and you will experience that your stress level gradually reduces.

I would recommend the following sweet foods that you can eat before the exam:

1. Sweet Curd
2. Chocolates
3. Fruit juices

You can choose to eat anything else as well. Just bear in mind that, whatever you are eating should not be too heavy.

If you eat your fill, you might feel drowsy during the paper.

To avoid such situations, have only half or three-fourths of the quantity of food (breakfast or lunch) you generally eat.

And after you have had your meal, you can eat your sweet treat and then leave for the exam center.

#04 Carry your stationery in pairs

It is important to have an extra pair of all your stationery items.

This is because in case some item like a pen or pencil falls down while writing the paper or stops working, etc. you don’t have to waste time.

You can pick up the extra pair and continue your paper.

The important thing here is to foresee all the things that could possibly waste your time while writing the paper and devise ways to achieve minimum wastage.

For instance, in the case of all the exams that I have given,
the basic SOP was that;
the invigilator of the exam hall would sign on the answer sheet of every student and also check the UID written by the student.

Whenever the invigilator used to come to my desk to sign my paper, I used to spend that time in reading the question paper again and deciding the order of solving the questions.

Similarly, there might be some SOPs that are followed by the authorities in case of your exams as well.

You cannot avoid this obviously, but with experience, you should devise some ways in which minimum time gets wasted.

Coming back to carrying extra pairs of stationery items;

In the worst come worst-case scenario, your calculator or your compass stops working and you don’t have an extra pair;

Not only would you not be able to solve certain questions, but it will also make you very nervous.

To avoid this, always carry extra stationery and most importantly, don’t share it with anyone.

I am not telling to practice being selfish. Just don’t become too generous while appearing for your exams.

The extra pairs are for you, in case of any emergencies, so avoid sharing your stationery with any of your friends or classmates.

#05 Listen to Instrumental Music if you are getting too nervous

Slow instrumental music has a relaxing effect on our minds and bodies.

It helps in slowing the pulse rate, reducing the level of blood pressure and most importantly lowers the secretion of the stress hormones.

So, if you find yourself becoming nervous, just put on your earphones, relax, and listen to some music.

You should preferably listen only to instrumental music.

If you listen to music with complex beats and lyrics, you might keep replaying these songs in your mind while writing the paper, which could serve as a distraction to you.

I listen to music before every paper and it has helped me remain calm.

Moreover, when you are listening to music your mind also gets distracted from the current negative thoughts you are having.

When you enter the examination hall, your mind should be completely void of any thoughts – whether it is negative or positive.

Don’t think about anything;

What kind of questions will be asked? How fast should I write? Which are the questions I should attempt? ……, etc.

All these thoughts are distracting you from the current situation.

Instead, focus on remembering all the important things that you need to like:

1. Writing the correct UID or roll number.
2. Tying up all the supplements properly.
3. Writing the question numbers properly and in bold letters, etc.

Trust me, once you get the question paper and answer sheet in hand everything will fall into place.

#06 Pray before you start writing the paper

I would not say that you have to do this.

But it is something that has given me that extra bit of confidence and conviction that I needed.

It is fine, even if you are not someone big on religion.

Just close your eyes and repeat to yourself;

“I’ve got this”

Because you do.

Self-belief is going to help you the most.

Don’t doubt yourself. This is going to make you very nervous.

Moreover, your subconscious mind stores all your thoughts whether negative or positive.

Therefore, if you keep doubting yourself and believing that you will not be able to achieve your goals, your sub-conscious will consider that as true and you will unknowingly start moving towards failure.

Even though, you had all the capabilities and resources to achieve it.

You must have heard many say that,

“Everything is in your mind”

It’s true. You do what you think!

So, believe in yourself and believe that you can do it.

Most importantly, if you have done your best while preparing and studying for your exam, there is absolutely nothing that you need to worry about.

So, Keep Calm and Ace your Exams.

That is, it from me.

I hope you have found this article helpful and you are a little less stressed for your exams, after reading this.

If you are preparing for your exams, you should also check out the following articles:

1. 6 Mistakes students make while studying for an exam
2. Secret Techniques to Improve your exam preparations a day before

All the very best for your exams.

I am sure you are going to clear all your papers with flying colors.

We’ll meet again with another insightful article.

Until then, Happy Reading ?