What To Do The Night Before Exams
By
Damon
The night before exams is like the sick, twisted cousin of the night before Christmas. No longer are you up all night, unable to sleep due to the utter excitement of finding that shiny red bicycle crammed under the tree the next morning.
No, no, no.
I’m afraid many people spend the night before an exam up all night, unable to sleep due to the utter anxiety they’re feeling about the morning’s test – the make-or-break point which will define over a decade of school and learning.
You don’t have to be one of those unfortunate souls. The last night before an exam is not a time for stress – it is a time for relaxation and acceptance of what will be. I’m sorry to inform you that you won’t be finding any hacks on how to cram an extra 1,000 words of information into that head of yours there.
Nope, this advice is all about keeping yourself relaxed and being prepared to accept that you can’t get any more prepared in such a short space of time. No matter how much wrong you’ve done in the lead-up to exams, the night before is your last chance to do something right.
Sleep
Yep, the best thing you can do the night before an exam is actually going to sleep. Not at 4am. Not at 2am. But at a reasonable, functioning-human, adult kind of hour. Let’s aim for 10pm for a lights-out, phones-off, Netflix-disabled, full-on sleep.
Without adequate sleep, your brain starts functioning like one of those early ancestors of yours you saw on the Discovery Channel that one time. When it comes to the 3-hour brain marathon you’ve gotta do the following day, you want that think-tank of yours operating at full capacity.
Review
Notice that I didn’t say ‘study’ – I said ‘review’. Don’t bother trying to learn anything new. It’s too late for that; it’d just stress you out.
Instead, look over the notes you’ve already made and familiarise yourself with as much of them as possible. Try to solidify any points you were a little iffy about and gain confidence from the points you’re certain about. Anything you don’t know by now is a lost cause – try to make the most out of what you do know and get to bed feeling confident in yourself.
Chill out
Relax! Do whatever it takes.
Whether that means going for a nice long walk, taking a bath, reading a book, watching a Bob Ross video, doing some yoga, hanging out with your mates, watching Bachie in Paradise, playing with your dog, painting a visual representation of how you feel about your impending exam, or just listening to some nice tunes.
It’ll help you sleep, and it’ll help you relax in the morning too.
Eat something healthy
Notice how most of these points have been centred around keeping your brain nice and calm for the big day? Well, this one also falls right into that category. Have yourself a nice, healthy dinner. Stock up on veges. Some “brain food” as your Mum probably calls it, and for good reason. Make her proud!
Pack everything you need
Another one for avoiding unnecessary stress – pack everything you need for your exam the night before.
I woke up before a maths exam once and couldn’t find my calculator anywhere, even though I’d been using it about an hour before bed the night before. I drove around to my mate’s place to borrow his, nearly crashed on the way to school, narrowly avoided a mental breakdown, and literally sprinted to the exam.
And as for the missing calculator? It had fallen behind my desk. Anticlimactic, I know.
Set an alarm
This especially applies if you have a morning exam. I know it sounds obvious, but honestly, the night before an exam is all about the little things. These tiny little preparations you can do the night before can go a long long way towards preventing your future self from having a panic attack the following morning.
Now you know what to do the night before an exam, check out what to do the morning of. Man, we could plan your whole life out for you! Plus, if you're looking for some last-minute study tips that don't suck, jump over here to suss out our free Year 12 Survival Guide, packed with advice on getting through final exams.
