Take one William Brookes student. Pop them in an exam. Add a pinch of self-doubt, a sprinkling of 'Oh heck, I don't know and I don't care' powder, couple that with remarkably little revision and leave this to simmer for 10 minutes, before taking it off the heat and throwing it away in the bin, because this is not really a helpful recipe for passing exams and not how you avoid wasting your school years.

Take note of how to prepare the perfect exam paper, whilst staying ever so chilled. You will need:

Ingredients:
½ cup of nuts (or something equally healthy to munch)
2 tsp. confidence
1.5 litres water
200g of perspective
2 chopped bananas
¾ cup revision technique
a good place on the planet for revision
1 relaxed self, to serve

Preparation time: As long as it takes, usually longer than you think and hope!

If you have ever felt nervous about exams then you should congratulate yourself: one, on being a normal human being, and two, on caring about something. The more we care about an exam subject, the more we want to do well and the more nervous we feel. What you have to understand is that just because you feel a certain way; it does not mean you are limited to thinking or feeling a certain way forever. It is possible for a student to control and overcome worries about revision and the process of sitting exams.

DID YOU KNOW?
. If you revise when stressed then you don't take the information in. It is better to relax for a short while then return to the work.
. Apples, not caffeine, are more efficient at waking you up in the morning.
. Watching too much TV will have a detrimental effect on the average attention span.
. Physical exercise, even a short walk or dancing around the bedroom, is usually helpful for regaining a positive perspective.

PREPARATION TIME
If you were asked to drive to Manchester you'd plan the best route, find out how long it would take you, put fuel in your car and water in your washer. Building up to and doing an exam involves similar planning and preparations. Begin your preparation for exams as soon as possible, preferably several months in advance. The more prepared you are the less stressed you will be. Create a timetable, which gradually builds up the hours you work each day, week and month. Set yourself hourly, daily and weekly plans.

Review and test yourself on what you've learnt at the end of each revision session and at the end of the day to make sure you have remembered what you have learnt.

Start with the areas and subjects that are more important or that you find hardest as they will take more time to master. They are the greens before your pudding and by doing this you can turn your weaknesses into strengths.

Make sure you allow time for fun and relaxation; you will work more effectively if you do.

People lose concentration after long periods of time so aim to have a 10 minute break (not longer) every 30-40 minutes. Advice suggests that you can help your body to cope by:
. getting plenty of sleep
. giving yourself a break each day
. keeping some time for yourself
. trying not to do too much work
. eating more fresh fruit
. getting regular exercise
. having a cup of tea

A FEW DAYS BEFORE
Check you know the right exam room, timing for the paper and time the exam starts. If you are unfamiliar with the exam room, go have a look. Sometimes fear of the unknown can put us off so if you know exactly where you have to go and at what time then this can help to calm your nerves.

THE NIGHT BEFORE
Make sure you have a good nights sleep. Don't cram revision through the night. Try and go to bed early, maybe have a hot bath, read a magazine, pamper yourself and do the things that relax you. Before going to sleep check you have got everything ready that you need for the exam and that your clothes are ready so you don't have to worry about anything in the morning.

ON THE DAY
Don't do any more revision on the day. Try to relax before the exam, maybe focusing on your breathing or going for short stroll to get some fresh air. Make sure you wake up early and head off to school in good time so you don't have to worry about being late. Eat some breakfast even if you don't feel like it. This is the fuel on which your car runs. If you are nervous and aren't very hungry, at least have some fruit juice or fresh fruit. Before you go into the exam, give yourself a pep talk. When everyone is standing outside, silent with nerves, jabbering with worry or bragging how they've done no revision, ignore them. All those people who say they haven't revised are likely to be lying anyway! Instead give yourself a pep talk as if you are a coach motivating a sports team for a game.

IN THE EXAM

When you sit down, arrange your stuff on the desk. It helps to take in a bottle of water. To calm your nerves uou can focus on a spot/wall and take a few deep breaths before the exam starts.

If you have a mental blank and find yourself panicking before or during an exam then you should do the 'Stop the Wasp' technique. First of all:
STOP. Stop the negative thoughts and insecurities that are buzzing around your head. WAIT. Sit back. Take a few deep breaths. Close your eyes and focus on your breathing, while doing a relaxation technique if possible (maybe count inward breaths up to ten repeatedly).
ABSORB. Let yourself feel completely relaxed, maybe giving yourself a small pep talk.
SLOWLY PROCEED. Once you have calmed down, either attempt the question or move on to the next question to build your confidence up and then return to the question you left.

AFTER THE EXAM
Many people will no doubt want to tell you how badly they have done. It may be better to avoid these unhelpful kinds of thoughts and conversations and instead feel relieved that good or bad, it is over now and you should feel relieved. Say, "phew" loudly.

RELAXATION
'Think Feel Do':
Think: positively, you are an intelligent being. If you can speak English (or your mother tongue) nothing is more complicated than this, it just takes time and practice to learn things.
Feel better: by monitoring how much stress you feel, taking time out to distract yourself and relax.
Do: make and stick to your revision plans and look to achieve short term targets.

RESULTS
Sometimes one of the most stressful things is not the exam but the build up and long period of wait for your results. Please don't let yourself get too worked up over your results. It is out of your control once you have finished the exam and waiting is nothing more than a lesson in patience. Make sure that when you do feel yourself getting anxious about exams you acknowledge the feeling, try and calm yourself down again and talk to someone about how you are feeling and what is making you worried. Put in to practise some of the same relaxation techniques you used before the exams.

Make sure that regardless of whether you are happy or disappointed with your exam results that you reward yourself. Remember exam results aren't who you are. If you feel like your exam paper has been marked wrongly then you have the possibility of appealing. Also if you have any extenuating circumstances before the exam (like a serious bout of illness) then make sure you have notified the exam officer so that they can advise the exam board who may take it into consideration. There is also the option of re-sitting some exams if you really feel that you could do better. There are November re-sits for English and maths GCSEs

Tips on handling exam results for Parents
http://www.parentlineplus.org.uk/index.php?id=245

10 tips for students with bad A Levels
http://www.ivillage.co.uk/workcareer/survive/persondev/articles/0,,156471_711783,00.html

Disappointed with results
http://www.connexions-direct.com/index.cfm?pid=84&catalogueContentID=104