Exam season means frayed tempers and raw nerves for many. Debbie Davis gives advice on calming stress and managing revision

Stress levels are rising for millions of students as the summer season of GCSE and A level exams begins. It isn't just teenagers who suffer exam nerves, parents do too. Here are some simple techniques to help alleviate the worst of those exam tension and top tips on managing revision.

Managing exam stress - before the exams
Prepare well in advance:

• Know where and when your exams are.
• For each exam, make sure you know what you will have to do and what you will need to take with you. Mobile phones are banned from exam rooms so check where you can leave your phone while you take your exam.
• For each exam, make sure you understand the appropriate number of questions from the right sections and which compulsory questions you will have to answer. Visualise yourself reading instructions carefully, planning your time, answering questions and reviewing what you've written.
• This is not the time for students to diet, take a new job or start staying up very late at night. Maintain a balanced lifestyle. Eight hours' sleep at night, regular exercise and a diet rich in fruit and vegetables all help performance during exams.
• The night before your exam, avoid cramming; relaxing and having a good night's sleep will be much more beneficial. On the day, start with a leisurely breakfast, walk to school if possible and arrive in plenty of time.

During the exams
Staying calm will reduce the nightmare and increase your chances of success. According to education consultants The Quantum Group, when panic takes over, what is actually happening is your middle and higher brains - the grey matter intelligent parts - are being squeezed. As well as being more likely to misunderstand instructions, you have less chance of remembering information and feel like your mind has gone blank. Calming yourself relaxes the brain, information starts to flow and then you remember the things you knew all along.

Use relaxation techniques to control anxiety. Try taking six, long deep breaths, and massage the temples and behind your ears to increase blood flow to the brain. If allowed, suck a glucose sweet and take sips of water. To keep working, the brain needs both.

Anxiety can be hardest to control if you find yourself running out of time. George Turnbull at the Qualification and Curriculum Association advises students to answer in outline if they are short of time. 'More marks can be gained by writing what you would do, outlining an argument or jotting down formulae without working through the actual calculations,' says Mr Turnbull.

Managing revision
Planning is one of the most vital revision skills.

• Start by making a list of all subjects, and topics within those subjects, that need to be revised. Teachers will help you draw up the list. They will also highlight areas of weakness that need extra attention. And they will know the grades a student is aiming for, which dictates how deeply a subject has to be revised. A student aiming for a C grade at GCSE needs to know less than a student aiming for an A grade.
• Count the number of revision topics. Allot 15 minutes to each and then look at your daily routine to decide when and where you want to revise.
• Now you can start making your revision timetable, filling in your revision slots with topics until you have a master timetable, which details everything you have to do.
• Start with a little revision time and build it up as your concentration levels improve. At the end of each week, allow a few minutes in your timetable to review topics.
• Always start revision with topics you dislike most and finish with those that you like best.

Getting started at all is often what students find most difficult. Try this very practical 10-minute rule from Dr A Level at the QCA.

Dr A level's 10-minute revision tip
Forget four-hour sessions where you do only 10 minutes in that time. Get real - and start with the 10 minutes that you know you will do. Have a 10-minute break and start again for another 10 minutes.

No phoning friends, looking out the window or playing with the cat in that time. And your room can wait for another few years before you tidy it up.

So now you've started and doubled the amount of work you normally do in the evening, all within 30 minutes of starting. But don't stop there. Build up the working periods to 30 minutes or so at a time - and keep the breaks at 10 minutes. Sorted!

Dr A level is answering students' A level queries throughout the exam season. Email him with your questions at alevel@qca.org.uk