How to overcome a pre-exam lack of clarity. (1 Viewer)

[alissa_xoxo]

I'm not offering a miracle solution, but asking for one.

Today I lost my ability to deeply contemplate ideas and remember subject matter. My brain went all foggy. I lost that sense of pre-exam anticipation where your mind runs through all the things you've revised, rearranging the memory bank so it would be ready for any question - basically being mentally alert. Instead, I was blank. Not even nervous. Just.. GEH. And i couldn't get rid of it. I'd eaten a good nutritious breakfast and slept well beforehand, I don't understand. Then in the test, I wasn't taking anything in and rather focused on individual words, or the serif on each of the letters. Nothing made sense.

Anyone ever experienced this? How can you overcome it?

 

[Jago]

I have this EVERY SINGLE TIME. It comes back during the exam.

 

[anchor]

I think the best method with that sort of mental block is in how you approach the exam question. Try to pick it to pieces so you know what you need to answer before you know how to answer it. For example, if you're answering an English question, circle every significant term (context, technique, convention etc.), and scribble down all the relevant information relating to each term. Then you can work your way through it, making sure whatever information you remember relates to the question.

Hope that's helpful. You're not likely to experience amnesia, you just have to concentrate on what you're doing.

 

[tennille]

I'm not offering a miracle solution, but asking for one.

Today I lost my ability to deeply contemplate ideas and remember subject matter. My brain went all foggy. I lost that sense of pre-exam anticipation where your mind runs through all the things you've revised, rearranging the memory bank so it would be ready for any question - basically being mentally alert. Instead, I was blank. Not even nervous. Just.. GEH. And i couldn't get rid of it. I'd eaten a good nutritious breakfast and slept well beforehand, I don't understand. Then in the test, I wasn't taking anything in and rather focused on individual words, or the serif on each of the letters. Nothing made sense.

Anyone ever experienced this? How can you overcome it?

You must have been extremely nervous during the exam. Take St. John's Wart- it helps to relieve stress.

Also, make sure you don't study too much- that could also cause a memory blank.

 

[alissa_xoxo]

I think the best method with that sort of mental block is in how you approach the exam question. Try to pick it to pieces so you know what you need to answer before you know how to answer it. For example, if you're answering an English question, circle every significant term (context, technique, convention etc.), and scribble down all the relevant information relating to each term. Then you can work your way through it, making sure whatever information you remember relates to the question.

Hope that's helpful. You're not likely to experience amnesia, you just have to concentrate on what you're doing.

Doesn't help when you're doing a maths test that is poorly written! I had english extension though, and I did do a bit of a mind-map/planning-scribble but i performed nowhere near as well as i could of. The problem was getting my mind to think and organise my ideas. It just wasn't happening!

You must have been extremely nervous during the exam. Take St. John's Wart- it helps to relieve stress.

Also, make sure you don't study too much- that could also cause a memory blank.

I wasn't nervous at all! Funny you should mention the St. Johns Wart - Mum bought me a bottle last week, as well as some Gingko Biloba lol. I hope they work.

And trust me, It wasn't because I studied too much

 

[Sweets]

I always find the best thing to do when you have a mind block is to go through the exam paper and do the question you feel best at and this gets your mind rolling. Another thing I would avoid is looking at your notes heaps before you go into the exam room. I look at mine generally when im in the car but then when i get to school I don't.

 

[alissa_xoxo]

Guesssss what!

This is going to sound so stupid.

I went for a long, long exercise yesterday - and today my clarity returned for my French exams. And also released a heap of tension.

Too busy studying for exercise.. this is sad.

 

[pLuvia]

lol, nice work