Dealing with CASC exam stress
Revising for membership exams whilst working as a psychiatry trainee can be difficult. At times, balancing revision, work life, with tough on call schedules, and not to mention a personal life, can seem near to impossible.
By this point, you have probably passed the written exams, and the CASC can feel like one of the final hurdles in the marathon that is core psychiatry training!
For some, this can be the most stressful exam to prepare for, due to the practical nature of the exam.
Here are 5 simple steps you can take to try to manage your exam stress.
ONE: PLAN YOUR WEEK
Make a timetable. The CASC is no different to the written exams in this respect – you should still take a structured approach to your revision. It’s important to step back and make an overview of the topics you want to cover. Visually seeing this can help to manage your workload as well as making tasks feel more manageable.
Make sure you leave time to reflect on the progress you have made and some free space towards the end of your revision plan to add in topics you want to recap.
TWO: DON'T COMPARE YOURSELF
We all learn in different ways and retain information at our own pace and in our own ways. Try to think about how you learn and which methods work best. Do you prefer talking things through, making notes first, watching videos etc?
However you choose to learn, you need to be actively engaged. Learning is context-sensitive, and you need to give yourself time to reflect and process the information you have learnt.
If you’re doing a busy job, you might feel at a disadvantage in not having the same amount of time to prepare as anyone else. Just remember that clinical experience is never more important in the CASC than for any other exam you have sat (and there will always be someone busier than you). There are often opportunities to specifically integrate your revision into the day-to-day activities at work, though sometimes you just might have to be a little creative to find them!
THREE: TALK TO FRIENDS & COLLEAGUES
It really is true that a problem shared is a problem halved, and you may be surprised to hear that even your most confident, intelligent and pulled-together friends or colleagues may be feeling the same as you. But often becoming aware of this realisation can transform how you interpret your own anxieties.
FOUR: TAKE A BREAK
We often forget this, even as psychiatry trainees, even whilst emphasising the importance of relaxation to our patients. Rest is important and the power of a revision break, an early night or a walk in the fresh air can be extremely rejuvenating. You can even schedule these into your revision plan and use this time to reflect on your internal motivations and personal goals, or alternatively just to clear your mind and relax.
FIVE: BE MINDFUL
If things get too much, consider taking out ten minutes from your schedule and focus on the world around you. Here’s a link to the Daily Calm to help you get started https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZToicYcHIOU .
It helps to remember the bigger picture – there is more to psychiatry than passing the CASC, and there is more to life than just your career!
