David Hodgson - The Brain Box: The Essential Guide to Success at School or College

Which one of these statements applies to you, right now at the start of things? Read the section below thats meant for you.

Im massively stressed about my exams. Read

Im working well right now. Read

I want to do well so Im reading this to find out if theres anything else I can do to improve myself. Read

I always do well in tests so Im not too bothered. Read

I want to revise, but I dont know how. Read

Nothing works for me, I cant remember anything. Read

Lifes too short to revise. Read

I dont care how I do. Read

I say I dont care how I do. But I do really. Read

So youre massively stressed about your exams.

You probably have a really clear idea about where youre heading in life and know that it starts now. Maybe you feel a weight of pressure to do well, either for your parents or your teachers. Maybe you have an older sibling who excels academically and you feel you need to compete doing as well as them or even better.

You arent the first person to feel this stress, and you wont be the last. There are scores of other young people, up and down the country, who feel the same way. But that doesnt make your feelings any less real. What you need to do is manage your stress you are more likely to mess up if you dont get a handle on your anxiety.

First off, you need to talk about the pressure and how it is making you feel. Talk to friends, a teacher you get on with or a parent. Maybe there is a school adviser or counsellor. Just talking about your anxieties will help.

There are bits and bobs in this book that you should read browse the stuff about the brain (and read all the Inside the Brain Box sections), particularly the bits on what stress does to you. Forewarned is forearmed! Read about motivations do you want to do well for the right reasons (see page )? You might have always got good grades at school and havent really experienced failure. However, we all fail sometimes. Thats just life! We need to know how to deal with it and, more importantly, know that it isnt the end of the world. Even if you fail all your exams (and we doubt you will), you will find a way to move forward. Read what we have to say about dealing with failure (page 58) it will help you to realise that there is