“There are many sides to exam anxiety,” says Claudia Kerp, a qualified psychologist and one of the three psychologists in the Central Study Advisory and Counseling Service to have completed additional training in psychotherapy. To solve individual problems, she believes, it is important to drill down into the details of their personal situation and the background to it. Is it preparing for the exam that is the challenge? Is it the exam itself? Or is the problem a combination of the two? A student’s attitude to an upcoming exam and to their own abilities would appear to play a key role, because doubts and fears increase our stress levels even further.
Five tips for a better mindset:1. What has worked well? Ask yourself what exam strategies have already been successful and what you still need to change. 2. Visualize your progress This will show you how well you are doing. 3. Start early Breaking your learning up into smaller chunks with enough of a time buffer between them is better than a huge mountain of things to learn. 4. Set up a study group Mutual support and having other people to talk to often makes learning easier. 5. Do some sport and meet up with friends Relaxation and activities will help you achieve a healthy work/life balance. |
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Finding solutions, building self-confidence
How do you cope with problems like these? One way is to write down what you yourself would like to change and then do something about it, such as forming a study group, improving your time management, highlighting the progress you have made, and working on your own style of thinking and the image that you have of yourself. You should also not forget to set aside time for social contact and relaxation in your daily routine.
The Psychological Counseling team at the University of Bonn offers targeted support in the form of coaching sessions and workshops and helps students to devise new coping strategies. Every semester, small groups meet with a psychological counselor to explore issues such as increasing self-esteem, time management and procrastination as well as dealing with exams. “The group discussion soon makes it clear to students that they’re not alone,” says Kerp with confidence.
One-to-one sessions open up new perspectives
As well as group-based coaching and workshops, students can also arrange a one-to-one consultation with a counselor to get support in order to see things from new angles or learn how to deal constructively with stressful situations. If none of this helps, psychotherapy is always an option. “We can also give them advice on finding a psychotherapy session,” Kerp says. All psychological counseling services at the University are free.
All the consultations are tailored to the student’s individual needs as there is no one-size-fits-all solution. “Analyzing the student’s individual exam situation tells us what precise aspects are causing them difficulties. By working together, therefore, we find out their strengths, which they will be able to make targeted use of in the future. This allows us to identify potential solutions just for them that the students can try out as part of their daily routine and develop further.”
Claudia Kerp knows from experience that a coaching session or workshop really can help students. As well as working on your mindset and alternative coping methods, however, she also believes that taking time out to recharge your batteries is important. This is because exam situations are actually easier to tackle if your mind has been refreshed and strengthened.
