How to Overcome Stress on IELTS Test Day

IELTS Test Anxiety Definition

Before understanding the IELTS Test Day Stress, let’s first know about Anxiety. 

If you are worrying about something in an excessive, intense, and persistent way or if you get afraid or tensed in every small situation, then it is called anxiety. In the IELTS case, if you are tense about the exam while preparing well, it is called IELTS Test Anxiety. Sometimes, it can be overwhelming and stop you to perform well on the test. As your exam date approaches, your anxiety increases.

The IELTS Exam is conducted to study, work, or immigrate abroad, and if you do not get the desired score, then you may miss out on realising your dreams. This fear gives you anxiety, and sometimes it becomes excessive, which needs to be dealt with. 

The symptoms of IELTS Test Day Stress may vary from person to person, but in most cases, it shows physical and emotional. For example - increasing heart rate, sudden sweating, body shaking, breathing problems, negative self-talking, racing thoughts, and lack of focus. It is necessary to overcome the IELTS Test Anxiety by following the necessary steps.

Why Should Overcome IELTS Test Anxiety?

IELTS Test Day stress shows that you cannot handle the exam stress, and your performance will be affected. Candidates who have an anxiety problem must overcome it for the IELTS Exam. Controlling the test day stress helps you to perform well and get good scores on the test. With the IELTS Test Anxiety, it may be difficult for candidates to focus, remember, or think to answer the question effectively. This debilitating psychological condition may prevent candidates from showing what they know. Therefore, learning how to overcome IELTS Test Day stress is essential.

Moreover, if candidates suffer from test day stress, they can get stressed, have sleep problems, and have physical health issues. But, if you overcome the IELTS Test Anxiety, then you can protect yourself from physical and mental health issues.

Reasons for IELTS Test Anxiety

There are various reasons for IELTS Test Day stress, such as fear of failure, improper preparation, exam pressure, time boundation, etc. Understanding all the reasons in detail helps you to know test anxiety in a better way, and you can also find potential to overcome it. Let’s know the reasons for IELTS Test Anxiety.

Fear of Failure

One of the top reasons for IELTS Test Day stress is fear of failure. Many candidates fear that if they fail, then they won’t be admitted to universities abroad. This fear of failure can affect candidates physically and mentally. 

Candidates who have anxiety for fear of failure face a lack of self-confidence, have negative thoughts, can’t prepare with full dedication, etc. Due to this, they can’t focus on exam preparation, avoid taking mock tests, don’t follow the expert’s strategies, and make many mistakes while answering. 

It is important to know that the anxiety and fear of failing may ultimately depend on each person’s experiences. Identifying this reason and dealing with it can aid in the development of practical exam anxiety management strategies.

Lack of Preparation

Many candidates are unable to complete the syllabus before their exam date, and due to this, they face IELTS Test Anxiety. Lack of preparation may affect your performance. Also, it can cause you to forget the topics you covered.

Do you know why you could not prepare for the exam? This is because you did not give proper time to study, remained unaware of the latest exam pattern, did not practice mock test papers, did not follow the right preparation strategy, and did not use quality resources. 

Candidates who want to appear in the IELTS Test must avoid the reason of lack of preparation. By dealing with this issue, candidates can reduce their test day stress and improve their performance to score high. According to the British Council Research, candidates who prepare well by avoiding the reason of lack of preparation get good scores on the test.

Pressure and Time Constraints

We all know that the timing of the IELTS Exam is 2 hours 45 minutes. Candidates who appear in the exam have to divide the exam timing into 4 sections and answer all the questions in the given IELTS Exam time frame. This tight timing of IELTS may put pressure on candidates and cause anxiety. 

The IELTS Exam Time limit can create rushed feelings and may lead to making mistakes. Moreover, the writing task is time-consuming, and answering all the questions in a given time frame can increase test day stress. Additionally, answering all the questions correctly in the allotted time so that you can get a good score may raise the pressure.

Sign of IELTS Test Anxiety

To overcome the IELTS Test Day stress, first, you must know the signs of anxiety. Below, you can check symptoms that will help you understand that you are facing IELTS Test Anxiety issues. 

Generally, you will find two types of symptoms of IELTS Test Anxiety - Physical Symptoms and Emotional Symptoms.

Physical Symptoms

Many candidates find a sudden fast heartbeat, breathing problems, sweating, shaking hands/legs, stomachaches, headaches, and faintness during IELTS Exam Preparation. These all are IELTS Test Anxiety symptoms. 

It is necessary to manage test day stress to prepare best for the exam. The following tips will help you to reduce the physical stress during test preparation. 

• Do Daily Exercises of Deep Breathing – If you are facing breathing issues, then start exercising deep breathing. It will help you regulate your heart rate and improve your oxygen flow so that you can feel relaxed.

• Start Some Activity You Enjoy - Give 30 minutes to 1 hour daily to some activities like dance, singing, cooking, etc. that you enjoyed. It will help you to stay calm and manage stress. 

• Improve Your Time Management Skills – To reduce test-day stress, make your timetable and follow it strictly. Managing your time will help you to cover all the topics and prepare best for the exam.

• Increase Healthy Study Habits – Divide your task into easy and tough topics and prepare accordingly. 

Emotional Symptoms

Many candidates face emotional stress, such as irritability, restlessness, worry or fear, self-doubt, difficulty concentrating, and panic, which can harm their IELTS Test Preparation and affect their performance on the test. 

Mostly, it is difficult to deal with emotions as it comes together. However, it can depend on person to person.  Some candidates face minor stress that they can handle, while some face anxiety on a major level. However, positive communication helps to reduce emotional stress and allows one to perform better in the exam.

How to Overcome IELTS Test Anxiety

To give your best in the IELTS Test, it is important to overcome IELTS Test Anxiety. It will be possible when you follow the right preparation strategy. Below are some tips that will help you to get good scores in the exam.

Prepare and Practice

• Check all the sections and topics that can be asked in the exam. Divide them into easy and complex topics and prepare accordingly. 

• Prepare with quality study material. Select material that covers the complete syllabus and provide practice papers. Prepare IELTS Exam (PIE) platform offers the IELTS Study material online along with free sample papers. Candidates can get it from their website and prepare well for the exam. 

• Stay positive during the preparation. 

• Try to speak in English and include yourself in English-speaking conversations to improve your English. You can watch English shows or movies and read English newspapers to boost your confidence. 

• Clear all your doubts. Discuss your queries with other IELTS students or tutors to clear up your doubts. 

• Do meditation to relax from test day stress. 

• Take proper rest before the exam. 

• Eat healthy and hydrate yourself. 

• Maintain a positive mindset.

Create a Time Table

To prepare well for the IELTS, it is crucial to make a timetable. A well-structured study plan helps you to manage your time and prepare well in advance for the exam. Here are the tips to create an effective IELTS timetable. 

• First, divide the complete syllabus into 3 parts – Easy topic, moderate topic, and complex topic. Now, assign the preparation time accordingly. It will help you to focus on hard topics and focus on your weak areas. 

• Set your goal for each section, including solving mock tests, revision, doubt-clearing sessions, etc., to achieve that goal.  

• Create a study plan by focusing on the above points and follow it strictly. It is important to include the breaks and other activities during preparation. It will prevent you from exam stress.

Know the IELTS Test Format

Any exam preparation is incomplete if you are unaware of the latest exam pattern. Below, you can check the IELTS Test Pattern for the 2024 exam. It is important to know that each section of IELTS is important as you will get an IELTS Band score after combining the scores of each section. So, focus on all LRWS sections. 

Take Mock Test Papers for Practice

Mock Tests play a crucial role in your exam preparation. 

• Practising the mock test papers helps you to identify your weak and strong areas. 

• It will give you an idea of test format, marking, and types of questions. 

• It will help you to reduce your stress and boost your confidence. 

• It will help you to manage time during the exam.

Tips to manage IELTS Test Day Stress

Below are the tips to manage your IELTS Test Day stress. 

• Provide adequate time for yourself to study and practice for the exam. Try to complete your syllabus 15 days before the exam so that you can practice and revise the topic on the last days of the exam. This will reduce worry and boost confidence. 

• The night before your test, make sure you get adequate rest. You can maintain your attention if you get enough sleep. It is recommended to gain 7-8 hours of sleep. 

• Eat a nutritious lunch so that you can maintain your energy level before the exam. Steer clear of large, oily meals, which might make you feel lethargic. 

• Arrive early at the test centre so that you have time to unwind. Stress levels might rise when you are late. 

• Before the test, try to de-stress by taking deep breaths and using relaxation techniques like meditation or visualisation.

Conclusion

In conclusion, controlling your IELTS test anxiety ensures a stress-free exam day. Above, we have covered the complete details of IELTS Test Day Stress, how to find you have exam stress and tips to overcome it. The above-mentioned techniques to overcome test anxiety help you to increase your self-assurance. Moreover, familiarising yourself with the structure and subject matter of the test, using the IELTS study guide, and replicating the testing environment also increase your confidence. We hope the above information will be helpful for you. 

However, if you are looking for more details or would like to prepare for IELTS, you can contact the Prepare IELTS exam (PIE) expert counsellors for further guidance. Our team of education experts is dedicated to providing you with the best test material and guidance to ace the IELTS exam. You can get a one-on-one counselling session and an IELTS online practice test via our platform. Contact us at info@prepareieltsexam.com or call us at +91 9773398388 for further queries.