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Being nervous on the day of the exam shouldn't be normal.
If you let yourself be carried away by nerves, your performance will drop and you will see that you will not be able to think with the same clarity as being in a relaxed state.
Here are my 5 key tips to eliminate your nerves on exam day:
1. Good preparation is the key:
Nerves come from fear of the unknown. But what are you going to be afraid of if you already know everything about the exam? If you do a good preparation beforehand, your nerves will calm down, because on the day of the exam you will only have to repeat what you did at home while practicing with models applying the advice of your teacher.
If you need help with preparation and don't want to be surprised on the day of the exam, I recommend that you enroll in my specific DELE course. Click here to learn more aporeldele.com/courses
2. Don't touch the books a day before
What you learn the day before is not going to help you, quite the contrary.
You should trust everything you know so far and not think about everything you don't know. What you already know is your strength and in one day you will not be able to improve. The improvement will come from the sum of many days of studying and practicing.
The day before the exam Don't study or practice with models. Dedicate time to do activities that relax you: go for a walk, meet friends, watch a movie...
On the day of the exam, even if you see other candidates reviewing their notes, focus on your breathing and thinking positively. You don't need to study anything outside the exam center because you've prepared before. If you start reading notes on the door, your heart rate will go up and you'll be sending the wrong message to your brain: “I don't know this”, “I've forgotten everything”, “you're going to make it terrible”.
In addition, Take care of your diet and rest. Avoid drinking too much caffeine the day before and respect your sleep hours so that you feel fresh like lettuce on the day of the exam 🥬
3. Think about everything that could go wrong and make a plan for solutions
Days before the test, negative thoughts will come to your head. Get them out of your head by putting them on paper. Write down everything that could go wrong during the exam, uncomfortable situations, difficult moments... and Take note of how you would solve that problem.
For example, if you think you won't understand an examiner's question, write down the solution: ask him to repeat the question or to rephrase it with a phrase such as “Would you mind rephrasing the question? thank you”.
4. Be punctual
Get to the exam early to avoid running and increasing your heart rate. If you're short on time, you'll get stressed with the time and you don't want to add one more concern to the ones you already have. Plan the night before how to get there to the test center and try to leave home with plenty of time. That way, if something unexpected happens, you can keep arriving on time.
Don't arrive 1 hour early either, because waiting there long will make you impatient. Try to be about 10-15 minutes before you are scheduled to be summoned.
5. Relatize
Sometimes we give more importance to some events than they actually have.
Try to downplay the exam, think about it as an opportunity to practice Spanish, to enjoy the subjects they propose to you, to be able to speak with a native of Spanish and to meet with other students like you.
Also, what's the worst that could happen? If you don't qualify, you could apply for another call. But you have to think positively and believe in your abilities. The vast majority of candidates who apply to the DELE approve and you will be among them.
