How to Avoid Mental Blocks During College Exams

You’ve studied a lot. You know you’ve reviewed all the lessons. Well, that’s good. But you know what’s your biggest challenge when you are taking the actual exam? It’s having a mental block. So you see, when you experience a mental block, you can’t recall specific things even if you are all too familiar with it. And yes, it sometimes happens even during exams. As we all know, that’s not a good thing and can cause you to fail.   

The question now is, how are you going to deal with it? How can you lessen the chances of getting a mental block? Fortunately, over the years, we were able to collate the best techniques on how to stop it from happening. Use these and pass that challenging exam in college.   

Make Sure to Have Enough Rest   

We understand that most students will stay late to study the lessons. Perhaps you think you can absorb as much, but in reality, not having enough sleep before an exam is never good. When you deprive yourself of sleeping, your mind gets tired, and it will be harder for it to function the next day. Thus, you will have challenges remembering information even if you just read it a couple of hours ago.  

Exercise and Get Your Blood Flowing   

Don’t make an excuse for not exercising. Even if you are extremely busy with your exam, you can still squeeze time. For example, use your study breaks to run around the campus. If you must know, exercising is not just healthy for the body; it’s also beneficial for the mind.   

Have a Light Snack Before Your Exam   

Also, make sure to eat light snacks before your scheduled exam. Never let yourself go hungry as it can cause your blood sugar levels to drop. If that happens, you might feel tired, irritated, and you won’t be able to focus on your tests. You can have nuts, seeds, and even dark chocolates to boost your brain.   

Some professors will allow you to have water during your exam, so make sure you have your tumbler with you. Keep yourself hydrated.   

Keep a Positive Attitude   

Negative thoughts can also hinder you from passing your exam. Instead of remembering your lessons, you feel fear. Your thoughts are clouded with, ‘I’m not going to pass, I will forget the lessons’, and all these things that will not contribute to a passing grade.   

If you know that you are prepared enough, you should be confident.   

Relax and Take Deep Breaths   

If you must know, having a panic attack can also result in mental blocks. We understand that it can be trembling to face your exams, most especially if you have strict professors or if the subject is naturally challenging. But we suggest that you practice meditation or have a simple breathing exercise. Just try to calm your nerves before you enter the room. Clear your thoughts, and again, focus.   

Skip the Question First   

Whenever you are taking an exam, there will be times that you can’t simply remember the answer. We recommend that you skip that first. Don’t exhaust your energy for a single question. Instead, answer what you know and just go back after. This technique works as sometimes, you can even see the answers from other questions. Let your brain relax a bit.  

Avoid Looking at Your Seatmates   

Sometimes, we have the tendency to look around our classmates to see if they are answering the exams with ease. But that’s not a good thing. Chances are, you will get more tensed most. Focus on your paper, or if you want to redirect your eyes, read the tip below.    

Look Up   

Yes, we encourage you to literally look up whenever you are finding the right answer. When you do this, you are allowing your brain to connect to the visual memory center. In that case, it’s easier for you to visualize and remember the answers. Try it, and I’m sure you will be fascinated.    

Take note that mental block is not like most diseases where you’d have symptoms. It can happen to anyone, anytime, and anywhere. Thus, it’s better if you are proactive enough to do activities that can prevent it from happening.