A teacher’s guide to supporting student wellbeing during exam season

Exams can bring up intense emotions for your students. In fact, a 2022 study by ReachOut reveals an alarming 50% of young people are extremely or very stressed about their studies and upcoming exams. 

The same research found that exam stress can have concerning impacts on student’s health and wellbeing, with 75% of Aussie students reporting a lack of motivation and 71% citing mood changes as a result of exam stress. 

As an educator, you can play an important role in helping students to prevent exam time stress. From fostering a supportive classroom environment to sharing practical preparation tips with your students, this practical guide will help you support student wellbeing during one of the most stressful times of the school year: exam season. 

In this guide, we’ll cover:

• The causes of exam stress for students 
• How to spot the signs of exam stress in your classroom
• Five practical tips to support student wellbeing during exam season 

What causes exam stress for students?

To effectively prevent and tackle exam stress among your students, it’s important to understand what causes exam stress in the first place. 

Precipatory anxiety is a real thing, particularly when students are getting near exam time and building up this moment in their head. Often, students will try to unpack all of the possible exam scenarios and questions which can heighten stress levels.
‍‍- Sarah-Eleni Zaferis, Resident teacher and Product Enablement Specialist at Atomi

While every student is different, the common causes of exam stress include:

• Worrying about exam results and what that means for a student’s future  
• Struggling to grasp key course material or feeling unsure about the best way to revise
• Feeling overwhelmed by a large volume of information across multiple subjects 
• Feeling unprepared for an exam due to a lack of revision 
• Facing internal or external pressure, such as high family expectations or a desire to get into a certain university course 

Exam stress can be particularly heightened for senior students when they feel the stakes are high. This is particularly true for Year 12 students preparing for their school-leaving exams, which tend to determine which university or course they’ll be accepted into.

If left unaddressed, exam stress can have significant impacts on a student’s overall health and wellbeing. Take this example: a 2023 study by ReachOut of 1,000 students aged 16 to 25 years looked at the impacts of study stress on sleep. The research found that 65% of students were sleeping less, 59% were finding it difficult to wake up and 57% were staying up late at night to study. 

Spotting the signs of exam stress in your classroom

So, how can you tell if you have a stressed student in your classroom? While it’s normal for learners to be nervous ahead of an important exam, stress isn’t helpful when it becomes all-consuming and prevents learners from performing at their best.

In practical terms, signs of a very stressed student can include:

• Intense lines of questioning: If a student is repeatedly asking the same questions or digging into the specifics of what to expect in an exam, it can indicate they’re experiencing a high level of stress.
  
• Catastrophising: Stressed students may jump to the worst conclusion or say statements like, “I’m going to do terribly because I’m bad at [subject]”.
  
• Disengagement: If a student is quieter than usual, seems withdrawn or isn’t engaging with revision material, it could be a sign that stress is causing them to dissociate from the upcoming exam altogether.

5 practical tips to make wellbeing a priority for students during exam season

Ready to help your students manage their stress levels and feel prepared ahead of exam time? Consider these five practical tips to help your learners prioritise their wellbeing, even during high-stress periods like exam season. 

Tip 1. Foster a safe, positive classroom environment

The more comfortable students feel in the classroom, the more likely they’ll be to speak up when they’re encountering high levels of stress. 

To create a positive classroom environment for your learners, consider:

• Checking in with students to promote a regular dialogue about wellbeing. Try this conversation starter: “I know this is a stressful time. Let’s discuss some ways we can work on our wellbeing.”
  
• Reduce the stigma around topics like mental health by creating opportunities for students to reflect on how they’re feeling, backing this up with tangible resources (like handouts and posters) that help students self-identify when they might be struggling.
  
• Normalise seeking support and offer helpful prompts to make it easy for students to reach out for expert guidance. Try this: “If you need to talk to someone, this is where you can go at school…”

Atomi Tip: Start open and honest conversations about pre-exam stress with your students by asking open-ended questions such as, “How do you feel about your exams?”. Listen to their responses and use this to guide the resources and support you offer to students. 

Tip 2. Use online learning platforms to stay connected with students

The more prepared students feel ahead of exam season, the less stressed they’re likely to be. 

Online learning platforms can help you stay connected with your students, even outside of classroom hours (such as during the holidays). Not only can you assign ample resources for learners to complete in their own time, but you can differentiate these revision materials based on individual learner needs. 

For example, Atomi’s continuous reporting tool mark book allows you to quickly assess how students are progressing through content to identify knowledge gaps and assign personalised tasks and revision materials. 

For students, Atomi’s real-time feedback can help curb pre-exam stress as learners are able to practice exam-style questions and gain constructive insights into how to improve. 

Tip 3. Run guided exam breakdown session

Exams present several unknowns for students. What questions will they be asked? What does a top-mark answer look like? What is the best way to approach the paper to maximise their time?

That’s why facilitating guided exam breakdown sessions can give learners the practical advice they need to walk into the exam room with confidence. 

The key is to avoid general advice and make these sessions as specific and tangible as possible, such as:

• Walking students through a past paper to familiarise them with the layout and structure.
  
• Breaking down an exemplar response to pinpoint the key pieces of information to include and why.
  
• Guiding students through the process of solving an example question, including step-by-step instructions on how to solve the problem. 

Tip 4. Bring parents on the journey

If you notice a student is struggling with pre-exam stress, it can be helpful to engage their parents to offer additional support outside of the classroom. 

In many cases, parents might not be aware of the challenges their child is facing at school.  

By starting an open dialogue with parents and explaining their child’s areas of strength and weakness, family members can feel empowered to play a practical role in helping their child combat pre-exam stress. 

Tip 5. Make it easy for students to access support

Speaking up and asking for help can be daunting. But by making additional wellbeing resources and support easily accessible, you can ensure students know where to turn if they struggle with exam stress. 

In tangible terms, consider: 

• Sharing tips and practical resources with students will enable them to take the reins of their own mental health and wellbeing. 
  
• Printing posters and handouts that give students tips for navigating the acute symptoms of stress, such as deep breathing techniques to relieve stress.
  
• Arm students with details of professional helplines and support services to access mental health resources whenever they need them, including:some text
  • Kids Helpline (open 24/7): 1800 55 1800
  • Youth Beyondblue Helpline (open 24/7): 1300 224 636
  • Lifeline Helpine (Open 24/7): 13 11 14 

Ultimately, educators can play a pivotal role in helping students prevent and navigate exam stress. With tailored revision resources, a supportive classroom environment, and easy access to professional support, you can set your learners up for success, even during high-stress periods in the school calendar.

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