My exam-day routine

as a person who was really bad at taking exams because of anxiety.

I had a very specific routine on exam days. Some of it was probably a little dramatic, but having the same routine before every exam made me feel much calmer and more prepared.

The night before:

If I felt prepared, I would always choose to sleep early. But realistically, there were a few exams where I knew I had missed too much content and genuinely felt that staying up later would help me cover what I still needed to know.

I did pull all-nighters for a few specific IB exams, but I definitely did not do this for every exam. I would only even consider it if you have done all-nighters before and already know that you can function reasonably well the next day. If you have never done one before, your IB exam is absolutely not the time to experiment with it.

For me, it was only for very specific situations where I felt that the extra revision time was worth the lack of sleep. If I was already prepared, I would always prioritise sleeping properly because going into an exam exhausted can easily do more harm than the extra few hours of studying help.

Do a short final review

I actually struggled a lot with falling asleep before exams, so I would often get into bed around four hours before I realistically expected myself to fall asleep. During that time, I would review things from my phone rather than sit at a desk stressing myself out, usually saved revision albums, flashcards, or Crash Course videos.

If I had managed to sleep early, I would usually wake up around two hours before I actually needed to leave and do a light review. I would go through my one-page summaries, flashcards, saved photos of whiteboard summaries, or my album of past-paper questions I had gotten wrong.

The idea was not to learn a completely new topic at the last minute. It was more about keeping the content fresh and reminding myself of things I had already studied.

Your environment before the exam:

Be careful who you stand with before the exam

This was a big one for me. Right before an exam, I tried not to stand around people saying things like “I’m going to fail,” “I know nothing,” or panicking about what might come up.

Other people’s stress can get into your head really quickly, especially when you are already nervous. I found that if I listened to those conversations for too long, I would start doubting things I had been completely confident about five minutes earlier.

So I tried to avoid getting pulled into that energy and keep to myself a bit before the exam.

Keep the morning calm

I also tried to keep the whole morning as calm as possible. I would avoid really loud, upbeat or intense music because I did not want to make myself feel even more overstimulated before going into the exam.

That is why I would usually put my headphones on and listen to jazz. It helped block out everyone else’s panic, gave me a bit of space, and kept me in a much calmer headspace before going in.

Focus on you:

Eat properly in the morning

Make sure you actually eat before your exam. I personally had a whole little ritual with vitamins, a spoon of honey, some dark chocolate, blueberries and walnuts.

You obviously do not need to copy exactly what I ate, but the point is to have something that makes you feel awake, energised and comfortable rather than going into the exam hungry.

Also drink water, but maybe do not drink an entire litre right before you walk into the exam room because having to pee halfway through is not ideal.

Wake your brain up before the exam

I personally did not like the exam being the first difficult thing I read that morning.

In the car or before going in, I would read something that required a little concentration, sometimes the news, a summary, or a few of my notes.

I was not trying to learn loads of new content. I just wanted my brain to already be switched on and used to reading properly before I opened the exam paper.

Have something familiar with you

I had a “lucky” pen that I would study with and then take into my exams.

Obviously, the pen was not magically giving me marks, but having something familiar made the exam feel a little more normal and made me feel more settled.

Dress comfortably, but feel put together

Wear something comfortable because you are going to be sitting for a long time, but I personally still liked getting ready properly.

I felt much better walking into an exam when I felt awake and put together rather than like I had just rolled out of bed.

Also, bring a jumper or an extra layer. Exam rooms can be freezing, and you do not want to spend half your exam distracted because you are cold.

For me, this whole section was really about doing the small things that made me feel comfortable, awake and like myself before going into the exam.