Exam Anxiety: How to Cope for LGS and YKS Students and Their Families

How do you overcome exam anxiety? Symptoms, causes, techniques for the exam itself and advice for families of students preparing for LGS and YKS.

"I know the material, but the moment I sit the exam, everything flies out of my head." We hear this sentence from middle-school students preparing for the LGS just as often as from final-year high-school students who cannot sleep before the YKS. (LGS and YKS are Turkey's national high-school and university entrance exams.) Exam anxiety is an experience that millions of young people in Turkey, and their families, know intimately every year. A certain level of anxiety can motivate us to study; once it grows too large, however, it makes it harder to use what has been learned during the exam itself. In this article we look at the symptoms and causes of exam anxiety, the practical steps students and families can take, and when it is helpful to seek professional support.

What Is Exam Anxiety?

Exam anxiety is a combination of intense worry, tension and physical reactions in response to the possibility of failing in an evaluation situation. Anxiety is a natural alarm system that prepares a person for danger. In an important situation such as an exam, it is normal for this alarm to sound a little; it sharpens our focus and gets us moving.

The problem begins when the alarm sounds too loudly and for too long. The mind then stops focusing on the exam questions and fixes on thoughts such as "What if I can't do it?", "Everyone will get ahead of me" or "It's all over". It has long been known in psychology that anxiety improves performance up to a certain level and impairs it once that level is exceeded. The aim is not to get rid of anxiety completely, but to bring it to a manageable level.

What Are the Symptoms of Exam Anxiety?

This kind of anxiety can show itself in thoughts, feelings, the body and behaviour.

Physical Symptoms

• Palpitations, shortness of breath, sweating, trembling
• Nausea, stomach ache, needing to go to the toilet frequently
• Headaches, muscle tension, neck and shoulder pain
• Difficulty falling asleep or waking often
• A marked drop or rise in appetite

Cognitive and Emotional Symptoms

• Negative thoughts such as "I won't make it" or "I'll let my family down"
• The mind going blank during the exam, being unable to recall questions you know
• Difficulty concentrating and difficulty understanding what you read
• Constant restlessness and tension, and crying or getting irritated easily
• Constantly comparing yourself with others

Behavioural Symptoms

• Constantly putting off studying, or the opposite: studying for hours without rest
• Avoiding mock exams, falling ill on the day of the exam
• Withdrawing from friends and enjoyable activities
• Trying to escape anxiety by distracting yourself with the phone or games

Some of these symptoms can be seen in many students during exam periods. When they are intense and long-lasting and clearly affect the young person's daily life, they call for closer attention. Even so, these symptoms alone do not mean an anxiety disorder diagnosis. You can also read our article on anxiety symptoms for more on general signs of anxiety.

What Causes Exam Anxiety?

There is usually more than one factor behind it.

Perfectionism and High Expectations

Students who always expect the highest score from themselves, and who see a small mistake as a major failure, may be more prone to anxiety. These expectations sometimes come from the young person's own inner voice, and sometimes from family, school or the wider environment.

The Weight Placed on the Exam

The thought "This exam will decide my life" turns the exam into a threat. In Turkey, the LGS and YKS are often linked not only to an exam but to the family's future, social status and the young person's sense of worth. When so much meaning is loaded onto a situation, it is entirely understandable that anxiety rises.

Past Experiences

An exam that went badly in the past can create the expectation "It will happen again". This expectation raises anxiety in the next exam and the cycle feeds itself.

Feeling Underprepared

Sometimes anxiety comes from a genuine awareness of topics that remain incomplete. Unplanned study, revision left to the last minute and unfamiliarity with exam technique also increase anxiety.

Personal Predisposition

Some young people are more anxious by temperament, or generally have less tolerance for uncertainty. For them, exam periods can be times when the anxiety that was already there becomes more visible.

Pressures Specific to Turkey During the LGS and YKS Process

In Turkey the exam process is often experienced as a shared family project. Private tutoring centres (dershane), study centres, private lessons, weekly mock exams and ranking tables place the young person in a position of being evaluated almost every week. Mock exam results being discussed at family gatherings, and comparisons such as "How many correct answers did the neighbour's son get?", add to the pressure on the young person.

The cost of living adds to this pressure too. The financial investment families make in the preparation process can leave a young person with guilt: "So much money has been spent; what if I fail?" Worries about the future and about finding work can also make the exam feel like a "last chance"; our article on anxiety about the future may give you some ideas on this. Noticing these things is the first step towards putting the exam's place in a young person's life into a more realistic perspective.

An exam measures the performance a young person shows on one day; on its own it does not determine their worth, their effort or their future.

How to Overcome Exam Anxiety: Tips for Students

There are many methods you can use to manage anxiety. They work better when practised regularly.

Make a Realistic Study Plan

Break weekly goals into small, achievable parts. Planning study time with breaks (for example, studying for a period and then taking a short break) helps attention last longer. A plan reduces the uncertainty that anxiety feeds on.

Do Not Neglect Sleep, Nutrition and Movement

A sleep-deprived brain struggles to store and recall information. Regular sleep times, balanced meals and some physical activity each day, even if brief, are the foundation of coping with anxiety. If you have sleep problems, our article on how to overcome insomnia may help.

Learn Breathing and Relaxation Techniques

When you are anxious, breathing becomes faster and shallower. Breathing in slowly through your nose, holding your breath briefly, and breathing out through your mouth over a longer count activates the body's calming system. Exercises that tense and release the muscles in turn also reduce physical tension. To make these techniques work in the exam, you need to practise them beforehand, at calm times.

Question Your Thoughts

When the thought "If I don't pass this exam, my life is over" arrives, you can ask yourself: "What is the evidence for this thought?", "How did I get through a difficult situation before?", "What would I say to a friend who thought this way?" The aim is not to suppress the negative thought but to replace it with a more balanced one.

See Mock Exams as Training

Mock exams are not there to judge you but to help you get used to exam conditions and see your gaps. After each one, focus not only on the score but on which topics you struggled with and how you used your time.

Limit Comparison

Study hours, score tables and "I solved this many questions today" posts shared on social media can leave you constantly feeling behind. Every student's starting point, learning pace and goal is different. Noticing how much time you give to this kind of content during exam periods, and limiting it if necessary, reduces the comparisons that feed anxiety. Comparing yourself only with yourself yesterday is a fairer and more motivating yardstick.

Make Room for Rest as Well

While preparing for an exam, resting is often seen as lost time. Yet the brain consolidates what it has learned during rest and sleep. Setting aside at least half a day a week for a non-study activity, meeting a friend, sport or a hobby you enjoy helps you get through a long preparation period without burning out. When rest is part of the plan, guilt also decreases.

Prepare a Plan for the Exam Itself

• Instead of studying new topics the night before the exam, do a light revision and go to bed early.
• On the morning of the exam, eat a light breakfast and arrive at the venue early.
• When your mind goes blank, put your pen down and take a few slow breaths; skip that question and come back to it later.
• Try not to look at how fast others are moving.

How Can Families Support an Anxious Young Person?

Families' attitudes play a major role in how a young person copes with anxiety. The suggestions below can be a guide through this process:

• Appreciate the effort, and do not focus only on the result. Sentences such as "I can see you've been studying regularly this week" are valuable.
• Avoid comparison; every young person's pace, strengths and goals are different.
• Do not make mock exam results the family's only topic of conversation; show interest in the young person's life outside the exam too.
• Instead of "This exam is everything", give the message "Doing your best is enough, and we are with you whatever the result".
• Provide a calm study environment at home, but do not try to control every minute of the young person's day.
• Notice your own anxiety; the family's anxiety very often passes straight to the young person.
• After the exam, whatever the result, be ready to support the young person emotionally.

Imagine a young person preparing for the YKS who checks their family's facial expressions after every mock exam result and shuts themselves in their room when the result is low. When the family starts asking how the young person feels rather than about the result, the young person's anxiety can gradually ease too.

As the exam day approaches, families also need to manage their own excitement. Giving long pieces of advice on the exam morning, saying "Don't you dare get nervous", or asking how many correct answers they got as soon as they walk out of the exam can add to the pressure on the young person. Instead, a short, warm sentence such as "We love you, doing your best is enough" is far more supportive. After the exam, too, it helps to ask first how they are feeling, and to leave talking about results until the young person is ready.

When Should You Seek Professional Support?

Some anxiety is expected during exam periods. However, it can help to seek support from a specialist in the following situations:

• If anxiety makes it almost impossible to study or take the exam
• If physical symptoms lead to consequences such as being unable to take the exam or leaving it halfway
• If there are marked, long-lasting changes in sleep and appetite
• If the young person seems constantly unhappy, hopeless or withdrawn
• If they have intense anxiety episodes resembling panic attacks
• If the young person talks about self-harm or not wanting to live; in emergencies, call 112 (emergency services)

These situations may point to the anxiety being part of a wider anxiety or mood problem. A mental health professional can assess the young person's situation as a whole; if necessary, an evaluation by a psychiatrist may also be recommended.

How Is Exam Anxiety Addressed in Therapy?

One of the most commonly used approaches for exam anxiety, with its effectiveness supported by research, is cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). In this approach, the young person learns step by step to notice the thoughts that trigger anxiety, to evaluate them from a more realistic perspective, and to build skills for coping with anxiety.

The following areas are usually worked on during therapy:

• Recognising the body's signs of anxiety and gaining relaxation skills
• Noticing and reappraising catastrophising thoughts such as "If I fail, everything is over"
• Making perfectionist expectations more flexible
• Strengthening study planning, time management and problem-solving skills
• Gradually getting used to anxiety by imagining the exam situation in the mind

When working with adolescents, cooperation with the family is also important. In sessions with families, expectations, communication style and the atmosphere at home are thought through together. You can find more information about work with adolescents on our adolescent counselling page.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you overcome exam anxiety, and is it possible to improve quickly?

Skills for managing anxiety develop over time with regular practice. Some techniques, such as breathing exercises, can bring relief in a short time; the part of anxiety that is linked to deep-rooted thought patterns, however, may need longer work. Every young person's process is different.

Is a little anxiety useful?

Yes, a certain level of anxiety increases attention and motivates you to study. The problem is when anxiety becomes so intense that it gets in the way of performance. The aim is not to remove anxiety completely but to keep it at a manageable level.

What happens if I can't sleep at all the night before the exam?

A single night of lost sleep often has less of an effect than you think; the body usually manages to stay alert through exam excitement. If you can't sleep, instead of forcing yourself it is more helpful to close your eyes, rest and focus on your breathing.

Is it possible to get online support for this?

Yes, sessions on this subject can also be held online. Online sessions can be a practical option, especially for students whose time is limited by a heavy study schedule.

• #LGS
• #YKS
• #adolescent psychology
• #anxiety

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Eda Erkan Alapala

Klinik Psikolog. İstanbul Kent Üniversitesi Klinik Psikoloji Tezli Yüksek Lisans mezunu; bilişsel davranışçı terapi, çocuk merkezli oyun terapisi ve çocuk-ergen psikoterapisi alanlarında eğitimlerini tamamlamıştır.

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