Exams are like trend lines representing growth or decline in overall academic or unacademic competitions. Nervousness is a well-known effect of a nearing exam and this has caused me a lot of trouble to me. Little change in plan can lead to a greater change in results. The issue of a bad start which just kills the mood and decline is seen in the positive approach to attempt a question. All these years, I tried my level best to enhance the exam experience, to cultivate and inculcate habits that can give me an extra edge in the examination.

1. Positive start of the day - The simple and best solution to a good start is accomplishing small things in the initial part of the day. For example, when I know my day is going to be long, I start by doing resistance training. When I accomplish it, this gives me a better start, a self of achievement, and also makes me feel what I am capable of. Pre-exam, I do this too, and it gives me a fighting spirit to head on with the exams and even if a part of the exams goes bad, I try to recover in the next session.

2. Time management and virtual training - I always do this before exams. I create an environment that matches the exam hall environment. In that environment, I try to give mock exams with time limits. A lot of things that I can't perceive through my eyes, and ears are better perceived by the sub-conscious state of mind. This can be like feeling less nervous, and more confident, avoiding distractions, better focus on questions, better comprehension, and timely-efficient solutions to the questions.

3. Accessories - Additional thing that I bring with me to the exam hall is a water bottle, filled with a glucose drink to keep myself hydrated. Water sips in between exams give us additional oxygen and also helps in clearing brain-fog like situation. With oxygen, other activities like drinking water, which sounds general, help to defocus as well.

4. Proper sleep and diet - A proper meal and a well-resting mind will work efficiently. The drawback of not having proper sleep is the saturation that the brain gets due to the constant reading of books. In a recent study, it has been proven that a deep sleep state helps in rewiring where an entire day's information finally gets written and preserved for future use. Avoid study burnout, long sessions don't help much rather it affects efficiency as well.

5. Revision - Create crips short notes that can be quickly revised in a few minutes. Tree diagrams, charts, graphs, arts, abbreviations, and short tricks are available on the internet which can speed up the revision process. Understanding concepts should be in the focus rather than mugging up chunks of data.

One beneficial thing to note here is that exams are not meant to showcase how much you know, but it is a test of writing and delivering crucial information with suitable examples in the least words. I believe the above suggestions will come in handy for you as well. Confidence and self believe must always be greater than any fear of exams.