How to get motivated during exam?

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I've been feeling so bad lately and I can't focus in my studying, I can't revise and I'm losing hope. I'm an igcse student and I'm doing my mocks at the moment, two weeks of continues exams'. I've passed through the first week already and I'm gonna do the second.

It's year 11 and the worst it can get to is not studying and that's what I've done, I'm stressed out physically and mentally because of my studying's and I've reached that point where I didn't even bother reading the question during the exam and just left it empty because it felt hard.

I don't know how am I gonna prepare myself for the REAL igcse's in 3 months period only meanwhile I can't even do well in those..
My self esteem have dropped very low and I can't do anything right anymore, I don't feel like any effort is paying off and I always compare myself to "the smart ones" and wish I was one of them...
I don't know what to do because I feel trapped with limits
What can I do?

[Vamp]

First of all, you need to be taking care of you physical and mental well-being.

This means things like eating a proper diet, taking exercise and getting adequate sleep. It also includes having some leisure time.

Now that might not be what you were expecting to hear but all these things affect cognitive function. If your blood-sugar levels are all over the place, your digestive system is bunged up, your sleep patterns very wildly from day-to-day, then you are going to feel absolutely crap, you'll have problems thinking, and your thinking will be confused. Over-studying isn't going to help.

Now it may be too late to do much about your mocks but remember that the purpose of the mocks is not only to find out what you know and what you don't but also to give you practice in the techniques of sitting exams. That is: they are meant to be a learning experience - whether you pass them or not is irrelevant.

So you need to start planning for the real thing.

Establish a routine. Your routine needs to contain set meal times, set bed-times and set getting-up times (these will help you get adequate sleep). You also need to build in time for some exercise each day (this is a great stress-buster - a brisk walk is all that is needed), time for leisure and time for studying.

You should be eating a healthy diet, and eating proper meals rather than random snacks. You need to be eating a lot of wholegrains (wholemeal bread , cereals and pastas) and fresh fruit and veg. You should limit sugary, (remember that a lot of prepared foods contain unexpected amounts of sugar), fatty amd processed foods. Drink water, herb teas and fruit juice (dehydration affects your ability to think straight). Avoid caffeine and alcohol.

When you study, make proper use of your time. This means switching off music, your 'phone, social media etc. All these are are distractions. Every time you answer a text, you break your concentration and have to spend time refocussing. You will make a better use of your time without them - a 2 hour period in which you work solidly is more useful that a 4 hour session in which you faff about doing lots of other things. Don't eat or drink while you are working, and work sitting a t a desk on a hard chair (replicate exam conditions - the conditions under which you will have to reproduce the information). Do take 10 minute breaks every hour or so.- get up, walk around, make a drink.

Always stop working and have a break before bed. You should not use electronic equipment like a computer in the hour before bedtime (it stops you winding down). A warm bath will help you relax. The Internet is full of tips on establishing good sleep patterns. Pulling "all-nighters" or working into the early hours of the morning are pointless - you do not learn when you are over-tired.

Exercise, and laughing are very good ways of keeping up your serotonin levels so include a lot of comedy in your leisure times.

Finally, in an exam do read all the questions first, then start by answering the questions you think easiest. Don't skip reading questions - you might be missing an obvious "sitter"

Best wishes.

[Christian]

By being healthy both in a physical and mental way and chewing gum during an exam is very helpful for focusing.