Can you compete under pressure?

The BBC has a study under way to analyse the psychology of pressure, which will offer “...a new look at why some people are particularly prone to pressure, while others cope rather well.” Not surprisingly, with a launch at this time of year, the introduction to it focuses on exam pressure, and relates it to the pressure faced by athletes and others who have to perform to their best at a set time and under set conditions. The comparison is a good one; facing your A level exams means that all of the work you have done in the last two years comes down to how well you can perform in just two hours or so in the exam room. The study is introduced with an article by Matthew Syed who competed for Britain at the Sydney Olympics, in which he looks at the working assumption that such pressure is a fact of life, and therefore we should practice techniques to learn the best way to deal with it.

He describes the difference between strolling along a pavement, and walking along a narrow path with a 10,000 foot precipice on either side - in both cases the ‘skill’ of walking is all we need to use, but in the latter case we are much more likely to fall because we are so conscious of the way in which we are moving, rather than letting our subconscious take over such a familiar action. Athletes preparing for the Olympics will spend hours not just on their skills but preparing for the competition venue - the lighting, feel, and acoustics. He draws parallels with preparation for an exam - students can put themselves through a similar programme to ensure that, as well as knowing the content of the syllabus, they are ready to take on the environment of the exam room. Here are some suggestions:

- In the exam room you have a strict limit to the time you can take to show your best performance - so put time aside to practice essays or problems under time constraints, perhaps with a parent or friend acting as invigilator to keep you to the task, in order to make that into a familiar challenge.

- He suggests that many students are “vexed by the unfamiliar format of an exam paper, or the tone of the questions” - in which case deep familiarity with past papers, as well as chief examiners’ reports, will work wonders, and teachers at school should be able to provide copies or links to tell you where to find them.

- If you run out of steam because of the nervous energy you expend - taking a banana and a bottle of water would boost mental performance.

I think the article is well worth reading. There is a 20-minute test that you can take online which will contribute to the BBC study of how people respond to pressure as well - although I found that the software for it didn’t work at one point of the test, which didn’t do anything to calm my stress levels!