A racing heart, a tight stomach, a mind that goes blank on the first question: most students know exam nerves. Some nerves are normal and can even help. The problem is when worry takes up the attention a student needs for the paper.

Two simple habits have good evidence behind them, and both are easy for parents to encourage.

Habit 1: Write the Worries Down

In a 2011 study published in Science, researchers asked students to spend 10 minutes just before an exam writing openly about their thoughts and feelings about it. Other students sat quietly or wrote about something unrelated.

The students who wrote about their worries performed better, and the most anxious students benefited most. The researchers' explanation is that worries use up working memory, the mental space you need for solving problems. Writing them down seems to free some of it.

How to use it: before a mock or an exam (or the night before, if writing in the morning isn't practical), take ten minutes and a sheet of paper. Write honestly about what's worrying you. No one else needs to read it.

Habit 2: Read Nerves as energy

In a 2010 study, students preparing for a maths test were told that feeling anxious before a test can improve performance: the racing heart is the body getting ready. Students who heard this scored higher on the maths section than students who didn't, in a practice test and in their real exam.

The feelings didn't go away. What changed was what the students made of them.

How to use it: when your child says "I'm so nervous", try "that's your body getting ready to perform" rather than "don't be nervous". The second asks them to switch off a feeling they can't control. The first gives the feeling a useful meaning.

What helps more than either

Both habits help on the day. What lowers nerves most over time is feeling prepared: knowing which topics are solid and which still need work, and having a plan for them. Vague worry ("I don't know anything") is harder to manage than a specific list ("I need to go over two topics this week").

When nerves are more than nerves

If anxiety is stopping your child from sleeping, eating or going to school, or panic is regular rather than occasional, talk to their school or a doctor. These habits are for normal exam nerves, not a replacement for proper support.

The short version

Ten minutes of writing worries down, and a different way to read a racing heart, are both simple and well supported. Pair them with a clear plan, so your child knows what to study next and nerves have less to feed on. That clear plan is what ASAI gives every student.

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