Exams can be a very stressful time - whether it’s exams to get into secondary school, GCSEs, A-levels, university exams or professional exams.

Having attended an academic grammar school followed by the University of Cambridge, I know first-hand the pressure and stress that can come with sitting exams. The stress you may feel can often stop you achieving your full potential in exams, and can have a detrimental effect on your mental health.

Tapping provides you with a tool to help you cope with the negative emotions which may come up as you prepare and sit for exams. Research has shown that EFT tapping can be effective in significantly reducing exam stress, helping you to perform to your highest potential on the day.

Common limiting beliefs that clients work on include:

• “I feel really nervous sitting exams”

• “I feel worried I won’t get a good mark in this exam”

• “I feel anxious I won’t get into the university I want to go to”

• “I don’t have enough time to revise everything”

• “I’m not clever enough to do well in this exam”

• “I can’t remember everything I need for this exam”

Tapping is a powerful tool to help calm the body and mind, helping you release any limiting beliefs around exam performance, and reducing exam stress.

Research has found that 72% of students found tapping effective, and it helped increase focus and concentration with students also feeling calmer. Other studies have found that tapping can reduce stress for students and that EFT tapping can also help improve memory*.

For specific exams, I recommend a package of 3 sessions in the run-up to exams, including one session in the week leading up to the key exam(s) to help manage and reduce stress and anxiety, and maximise well-being and performance.

*References

Lambert, M.T. (2020). The Tapping Project: introducing Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) to reduce anxiety and improve wellbeing in primary school students. Australian Journal of Teacher Education.

Dawson, J. E., Green, W. H., & Vella-Broderick, L. M. (2020). Emotional Freedom Techniques (Tapping) to Improve Wellbeing and Reduce Anxiety in Primary School Classrooms. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 45(2), 38-51.

Church, D. M., Rush, D. S., & Petrie, S. A. (2020). Re-examining the effect of emotional freedom techniques on stress biochemistry: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 76(1), 61-72.

Church, D. M., Rush, D. S., & Petrie, S. A. (2020). Clinical EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) Improves Multiple Physiological Markers of Health. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 53, 102347.

Rani, S., & Singla, P. K. (2020). Emotional freedom techniques: Stress and anxiety management for students and staff in school settings. Journal of Education for Health and Wellbeing, 10(2), 195-208.

Okut, G. (2020). The Effects of the Emotional Freedom Technique on COVID-19 Fear and Anxiety Levels of Emergency Nurses: a Randomized Controlled Trial. Nursing Open, 7(3), 1365-1373.