Really Stressed about my AS Exams

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Hi,

Quite a bit throughout the year I’ve panicked a lot because of the occasional low grade that I have received for a test or a piece of homework (although these are not regular), and I’ve also panicked because I’ve felt that the amount of work I have done (albeit much more than most people have done) has been very ineffective and that it hasn’t paid off. A main reason for my panic is because of two cycles that have been going on in my mind:

1. I work hard
2. I may get a low grade in a piece of homework or a test
3. I become demoralised by feeling that my hard work has not paid off
4. I need to speak to someone who tries to persuade me that I am doing very well.
5. The cycle repeats

There is another cycle:
1. I try revising
2. My mind automatically panics and tenses up
3. I need a break from revision to switch off
4. I try revising again but the cycle repeats
5. Then I feel that I haven’t revised very well and that I haven’t done very well on it.

I don’t constantly get low grades (I am predicted A for my AS Levels but at the moment I can’t see myself getting them) although I become very stressed when I do, because I try to improve on it by following the teacher’s advice. I know a lot of people are feeling very stressed about their exams, but for me this stress is multiplied (as a result of combination between Aspergers and my very high standards of work) and I can burn out at times. I also feel that my revision for AS Levels has been worthless and nowhere near as successful as at GCSE. People say I performed excellently at GCSE, but how do I know I’m not one of those people who does well at GCSE but not so well at A-level?

I’ve been very stressed lately (and I’ve found that exercise doesn’t help this a lot, so I haven’t been doing it for a while) because I just feel that my exams are going to go terribly and that I am going to have a panic attack in one of them which causes my grade to plummet. I’m just finding it really hard to think positively at the moment because I can see myself getting low grades (i.e. C or a D) in the exams even though I am predicted all ‘A’ grades. The teachers say I shouldn’t panic, but I can’t seem to get how not to panic, and because of this, the cycles of panic just keep repeating. I can see myself on results day being extremely disappointed with my results. I’m not saying I haven’t done a lot of work to start with (because for most weeks I have done between 10 and 20 hours every week of independent study/homework), but it doesn’t seem to have paid off, despite my attempts at different revision styles and routines, because I always seem to have in my mind for some reason, “I’m not going to do very well”.

I feel like nobody really understands how I’m feeling, and any sort of solution to break the panic has not seemed to work, because the cycle just repeats again. People have just been giving me the same advice over and over again and it is not helping at all. My level of satisfaction has just been rapidly fluctuating this year, whereas last year it was consistently high. I just feel that my exam performance will be nowhere near as good as it was at GCSE and that I am just going to keep panicking. I desperately want to break that cycle, although I can’t find a perfect solution, partly because there hasn’t been any advice given to me that is Asperger-orientated. This is particularly worrying because my first exam is in two weeks and I don’t feel as well prepared for it as I could have done (although I have done revision).

Does anyone have any good ways of helping me to feel positive about myself and to break the cycle of panic? Stress is often made worse by Asperger's so I would greatly appreciate advice from other people on here who have also been in a similar situation, as I really need some help on how to unwind and also feel very confident about the exams. I am often very harsh on myself and I am aware that it is an issue, but just HOW do I get rid of negative thoughts?

I know exactly how it is. I have had the same here. The key is to remain positive at all costs. It can be hard to do so but it payed off for me (after going through a series of intense mental breakdowns of course). Being positive is not the same as not caring though. What you have wrote here sounds exactly like me. And due to the fact that this is a long one means that this has bothered you for quite a long time. At a serious point eh?

I was piled up with so much homework that I couldn't finish it. I struggled with it very hard. I was always worried about all of my grades and getting everything done. Everyone else seems to be like: "whatever.." and that is not something that I wanted to be like. My grades began plummeting later on. It got really serious. I was doing as much as possible and not getting any sleep at all. I ended up with D, C, C, C, B, D (grades like this) while in the past I would get straight A's. I was always an A student all the way through. The farther I got in grade school the worse things were becoming.
Yes, it isn't if I don't know. I generally knew how to do everything before I even got in the grade. I was in college level work in elementary. THe problem is that the work piled up and I just couldn't complete it. I was an honor's student as well so they made sure to pile even more. Piling up homework doesn't help people and it isn't a challenge. It is pure stupidity. It teaches nothing and students learn nothing. It merely wastes time, money, and your life.

Bottom Line is to remain positive. No matter the outcome. Just know that you did your best. The past is past and will remain in the past. Have to live in the here and now.

The best thing to do would be a one on one talk with someone.

Hey I'm always available on Xfire.
http://www.xfire.com/profile/mlqqeae/

If you are taking science subjects:
1) Never do the homeworks - complete waste of time. School is set around the average ret*d in the class.
2) Rote learn the facts and make sure you understand everything (the textbook has it all - in maths the whole thing is a joke). Use the teacher if you ever manage to get stuck
3) Do some questions on each topic until you are reasonably solid on it
4) Do the practise exam papers. Spot how easy they make it (i.e. repeated patterns, use of hints, easy questions etc)
5) Mark exams and read examiners reports.
6) Sit exams
7) Collect A-grades.

As for your perfectionism - perfect is doing well without wasting loads of time.

You shouldn't be too stressed out if you don't get a homework or a class test right. Particularly if it's a homework which you could probably repeat if you want. Plus a mock/class tests are just to help you figure out where you might need to revise more and improve. I've had a couple of bad grades but in my main ones I've achieved A's and B's.
I was a bit stressed out about my upcoming exams a while ago, especially because I didn't do well in a couple of my mocks. It put me off revising but that just made it worse. So I thought to myself that, instead of constantly panicking and working myself up I'm just gonna push these pointless thoughts out of my head and just work hard and revise. It's taken ages but I finally see some improvements because of revising.

You sound as though you're working hard so I think you should just be positive and keep telling yourself that you're doing good. I mean you won't know that you're revision for AS levels has been worthless until you've fnished them and have gotten the results.
If you are revising for maths then instead of studying for long periods. I think that the best method to revise would be to spend 2 or 3 mins on a page of whatever decent textbook you're using. Then stop and do this again every little while until you've gone through the book. Keep doing this because I think it's a good way to revise it. Plus because it's revising in short bursts you hopefully won't have time for negative thoughts and panicking.
Someone I see told me about a breathing technique which is supposed to help calm you down. Maybe you could look for some calming techniques for when you start your exams or study for them.

Good luck anyways.

I'm doing my AS levels to this year. I'm only doing two subjects though and chances are I'm going to fail but I'm not bothered (very unusual for someone with asperger's but I've been taught to relax (probably a bit too much)).

Just out of interest Deep-Techno, what subjects are you doing? (I'm doing English (Lang and Lit) and Economics).

Buy revision books.

That's all I'll say.


I did alright on those tests, but it didn't make my life any happier or win me many friends.
I'm stuck now .
I've been pretty isolated since then and things went rapidly down hill after that.
If it's any consolation, I still feel the stress from those AS exams and I took them 8 years ago.

Should I be worried?

I orignally was doing maths but I dropped it, waaaaaaaaay too hard! (Maths Mechanics btw).

I got an "A" at GCSE Level as well...

I'm thinking about doing maths A-level. I might just do it for AS level though.