Easing those last minute nerves before your CASC
We are all too familiar with the anxiety that is only natural before an exam, however, it is important that you don’t let your nerves get the better of you and take away from any of the hard work and preparation you have put into your CASC on the day.
Here are some of our top tips for dealing with pre-exam jitters. Whilst this information may be well known to you as a psychiatrist, we often need a reminder to apply this knowledge onto our own lives!
1) Minimise any last-minute stressors
There are some things in life we can control and other things that we can’t. Luckily before an exam, there will be lots of stressors that can be minimised before an exam. Make sure you know what outfit you will be wearing, especially for an exam like the CASC where your physical presentation is important.
Make sure you have some easy to eat food in your bag. Often before exams, you may feel too nervous to eat, but making sure you have food available that is easy to eat (breakfast bars, bananas, cereals etc) can be a valuable way of making sure get adequate energy on your walk into the venue.
2) ID Check
Make sure you follow the Royal College guidelines with regards to bringing the correct ID to the exam. It’s better to over-do it with preparing for this than to take a risk with something that you should not be occupying much (if any) of your cognitive load on exam day!
3) Do mock exams/ trial run throughs with colleagues
Whether you want to opt for a paid for mock examination or to practice with colleagues, from personal experience- we would highly recommend running through the exam in replicated exam conditions. Understanding the format, timings and pressure of an exam is important and can optimise your performance on the day. Not only can mock exams help you to understand the format of the exam but they can also highlight areas of strength and weakness which can help you to focus any last-minute revision.
4) Capture your zen
Leading up to an exam it is important to remember to prioritise your wellbeing. Make sure you are going to bed at a sensible time and think about waking up slightly earlier if you have an early exam start time to allow your body to become more accustomed to this wake up time. Ensure that you don’t spend every free moment revising in the final few days to hours before an exam as this can be counter productive.
Cramming last minute information can make your anxiety levels sky rocket whilst not actually aiding your revision as this form of learning can actually reduce the amount of information you are able to take in and retain. Remember that sometimes your best performances will come from the stations you least expect on exam day because the CASC is much more than just about clinical knowledge.
Also make sure those around you know you have an exam and to allow you space and quiet time to consolidate before the big day and that you don’t overcommit yourself before the exam to other responsibilities where possible.
Of course everyone will have there own set of rituals and preferences before an exam, but make sure to spend some time thinking about what works best for you, to ensure that you are as calm as possible in order to show of your skills and knowledge on the big day.
