My top three exam time tips

1. The two-minute productivity rule.
   This isn’t about the exams themselves, it’s about how you manage everything else going on while exam season is throwing off the normal balance of your days. I found I’d neglect looking after myself and my surroundings during exams as well as putting other things to the side and then forgetting about them in the rush of exams so here’s the tip: if something takes two minutes or less, do it now. (That includes taking those dirty plates and mugs down from your room so it doesn’t become a horrible festering exam cave).
2. Assess, seriously, what you need.
   Is there something going on in your life right now that you think might affect the way you perform? If so, come and chat to LUU Advice in the foyer or contact them now. You can drop in to chat to an adviser about mitigating circumstances or a Practitioner from the Counselling service if your mental health’s not doing so well at the moment. When I recognised I wasn’t coping, I decided to take the step to talk to my GP and ended up having CBT and being put on antidepressants. Those tools have allowed me to manage things to the point where I started to overcome lots of my exam-related anxiety. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
3. Five a day — but make it self-care.
   One of those things can be to try to get five portions of fruit and veg a day (easy ones like raw carrots, apples, grapes), it’s more important now than ever (brain food!) and it’s easy to forget about your physical wellbeing in all the exam stress, but add other things to this mindful daily to do list — do you have a post-revision winding down routine at night to switch your brain off before sleep? Do you stay hydrated? Do you have an activity you enjoy but neglect in exam season like yoga? Are you inspired by the pretentious neon light picture at the top of this article to try out some breathing exercises to help manage anxiety? Make time to put yourself first, write your list on a sticky note and whack it on the bathroom mirror or somewhere else unavoidable.

If you want beefier tips on revision techniques and the exams themselves, check out the Library’s resource on exams here or The Complete University Guide’s page. For advice on time management at Uni, read our fabulous recent blog by Edward here.

PS — Don’t forget your free exam breakfasts in Old Bar and Common Ground between 8–9am from the 13th to the 24th of January — just bring your student card to kickstart your revision or exam days while saving yourself a bit of money, time and stress in the mornings.