AN INTERVIEW
Exam season hits differently for every student. Some thrive under pressure. Others barely sleep for days. We sat down with two university students to find out exactly how they cope with good habits, guilty pleasures, and everything in between.
Whether it is the panic that sets in two weeks before or the eerie calm of the morning before a paper, exam season is one of the most emotionally loaded periods in any student’s life. Beyond the textbooks and past questions lies a quieter, more personal battle one fought with playlists, prayers, midnight snacks, and group chats.
We asked those students one simple question: How do you cope? Their answers were honest, relatable, and at times, surprisingly wise.
For many students, exam season is as much a mental battle as it is an academic one.
Interviews
Moses chioma Beatrice, 300 Level · Mass Communication. bouesti
Question: How do you prepare mentally before exams?
Response: I make a to-do list the night before. Nothing fancy, just writing down what I need to cover calms my brain. It stops me from lying in bed thinking about everything at once. Once it’s on paper, I feel like I’m in control again.
Question: What do you do when the anxiety gets too much?
Response: I walk. Literally just leave my room and walk around the hostel or the street for ten minutes. Something about moving your body breaks the cycle of overthinking. By the time I’m back, I’m ready to open the book again.
Question: Any habit you wish you had dropped sooner?
Response: Cramming the night before. I used to think reading until 4 a.m. was dedication. It’s not. It’s just noise in your head during the exam. Consistent, early preparation is the only thing that actually works.Akinlotan boluwatife 200 Level · computer science
Question: What is your number one coping strategy during exams?
Response: Sleep. People think sleeping during exam week is laziness but it is actually a strategy. When I am well-rested, I retain information much better than when I am forcing myself to read at midnight with my eyes half-closed.
Question: How do you handle courses you find difficult?
Response: I never face them alone. I always find at least one person who is strong in that area and we teach each other. Explaining a concept to someone else is the best way to know whether you truly understand it or just think you do.
Question: What advice would you give a junior student heading into their first exam season?
Response: Do not compare your preparation to anybody else’s. Your friend reading from 6 a.m. to midnight doesn’t mean they are smarter than you. Find your own rhythm and trust it.Explaining a concept to someone else is the best way to know whether you truly understand it or just think you do.
Question: Do you have any unusual study habits?
Response: I read out loud, especially for theory-based courses. My roommates used to complain but honestly, hearing yourself say things is completely different from just reading silently. It forces your brain to actually process the information
Question: How do you manage stress when it builds up?
Response: I called my mum. It sounds simple but talking to someone who believes in you genuinely resets your mindset. After that call, I always feel like I can handle it. Emotional support is underrated as an exam strategy.
Question: Any social habits during exam season?
Response: I limit social media aggressively. Not permanently, just during the exam weeks. Every time I pick up my phone to scroll, I lose twenty to thirty minutes that I cannot get back. The posts will still be there after the exam.
Question: What is the best coping advice you have ever received?
Response: My senior told me: “You cannot pour from an empty cup.” Take care of yourself first, and the studying will follow. That stuck with me. You cannot give your best in an exam hall if you have run yourself to the ground preparing for it.You cannot pour from an empty cup. Take care of yourself first, and the studying will follow Emotional support from a parent, friend, or mentor is a legitimate and powerful coping tool.
What stands out across all both conversations is that the most effective coping mechanisms are rarely academic. They are deeply human rest, connection, self-awareness, and the ability to recognise when your mind needs a break more than it needs another textbook.
Exam season will always be demanding. But how you take care of yourself in the middle of that demand makes all the difference.
To every student in exam season right now you are more prepared than you think. Rest well. Eat well. Show up. That is enough.
