Nervousness can cause you to breathe in an unhealthy way, which can make you feel uncomfortable and even more anxious. Here is a simple breathing exercise that can help you relax and think more positively about your exam: Take a normal breath in and hold it while slowly counting to five. When you reach five, slowly breathe out. Continue taking several breaths where you inhale for 3–4 seconds. Then exhale for 3–4 seconds. Make sure you breathe with your abdomen rather than your shoulders. You may place a hand on your stomach and breathe deeply enough that your hand rises and falls with your breathing. Repeat the exercise several times until you feel in control of your breathing and notice a sense of calm spreading through your body. Good luck!

On the library’s Shelf Help shelf, you can find self-help books covering topics such as worry, nervousness, and anxiety.

Exam ready

Q: Create a presentation draft

AI can help you create a draft of your presentation, giving you a starting point. Example Prompt You are a clear, concise, and effective communicator. Help me prepare for an oral defence of a written assignment and create a draft presentation. The presentation should be based on [insert assignment/topic/outline].

It is normal to feel nervous before an exam, and a little nervousness can even be beneficial. The most important thing is that it does not take over. Preparation, understanding your own anxiety, and simple techniques can help you keep it under control. If it becomes overwhelming, it is important to seek help – exam anxiety can be managed.

Key points

Exam anxiety is natural and can be managed through preparation, techniques, and understanding your own reactions.
After the exam, feedback should be used actively for reflection and learning, as it relates to academic development and not to you as a person.
For written exams, good time management, a clear overview of the assignment, and remaining calm during the exam are crucial.

During an oral exam, it is your academic knowledge that is being assessed, and you are welcome to ask for clarification and be open about feeling nervous.
Thorough preparation before the exam, both academically and practically, reduces uncertainty and improves focus.

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Before the Exam

Before taking an exam, it is a good idea to familiarise yourself with the exam framework. This means reading the programme regulations and exam guidelines so that you do not have to guess what is expected of you. When you know what is required, you become less nervous and can focus on the content instead.

Give your brain a chance to relax. Take the evening before the exam off and get a good night’s sleep. An exam is always just a snapshot in time and never says anything definitive about you as a person or your future career opportunities.

AI for your preparation

Here are some ideas for how you can use AI in your exam preparation.
Read more about use of AI to support your studies.

Train your subject knowledge

You can use AI to test your knowledge within a subject area. Consider uploading or linking to the course description or reading list to provide the language model with context.

Remember that all EK course descriptions can be found at:
https://katalog.kea.dk/

Example Prompt
You are a lecturer and my personal tutor at a business academy, and you will help me prepare for an oral examination. Follow these steps:

Ask for a description of the course. The description may be provided as a link, file, or another format and should include information about the exam format and required reading.
Read the description carefully and keep the subsequent conversation within the scope of the course description.
Ask me an academic question related to the course in correct English.
Provide constructive feedback on my answer and explain how I can make it more precise.
Ask me a new question after providing feedback.

Find weaknesses before an oral defence

If you are defending a written assignment orally, you can use AI to help prepare for the exam.

Be cautious about uploading your entire assignment to a chatbot, and never upload anything containing personal data. You may instead consider uploading selected sections to provide additional context.

Example Prompt
You are an examiner and will help me prepare for an oral exam based on a written assignment. You must identify weaknesses in the assignment and help me prepare strong answers, as well as identify central or insufficiently developed areas that should be addressed during the oral exam. Here is the written assignment: [insert section from assignment]

Create a presentation draft

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Oral exam

If you wake up with plenty of time before your oral exam, do something practical or go for a walk. Avoid trying to do last-minute reading. It often creates unnecessary stress, and you are unlikely to gain much from it.

When you meet the examiner and external examiner, try to remember that they are just people too. They are almost certainly familiar with nervousness and performance anxiety. If you feel nervous, do not be afraid to say so.

Before your oral exam, it is important to understand the exam format. Know exactly what you are being assessed on and how much time you have for your presentation. It is also essential to reread your assignment thoroughly so that you can easily recall the key points and explain any minor errors. If you discover significant mistakes, it is a good idea to address them in your presentation and explain how you would approach them differently now.
Arrive in good time, take a moment to relax, and settle in before the exam begins. View your presentation as an opportunity to demonstrate what you can do at your best. Remember to smile and be friendly when you enter the room, as this helps create trust and a comfortable atmosphere.

If you use PowerPoint for your exam, make an effort to create a strong presentation, practise thoroughly, emphasise your key messages, and stay strictly within your allotted time. Your arguments should be based on theory, and you should avoid informal language and slang whenever possible, as this can undermine the academic credibility you are trying to demonstrate. Finally, show that you are engaged and interested in your topic – enthusiasm is contagious.

If you feel nervous when you enter the room or your mind suddenly goes blank, say so and trust that the examiner and external examiner will help guide you back on track.

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Written exam

For a written exam, make sure to arrive in good time. Familiarise yourself with the room and get comfortable at your desk. Set out the materials you know you will need. Read through the assignment and plan your time carefully. Consider how many questions there are and how much time you can devote to each one. If you get stuck, leave it for a while and move on to something else. You can return to it later with fresh eyes.

Choose clothing that you feel comfortable wearing. Remember that you will be sitting for an extended period during a written exam, so your clothing should also be comfortable.

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Online exam

An online exam is similar to a traditional oral exam in many ways. As with any exam, you should prepare thoroughly and familiarise yourself with both the programme regulations and the exam framework so that you know what is expected of you.

Naturally, an online exam differs somewhat from an in-person exam. The replacement of the physical room with a virtual one means that you need to focus on and prioritise slightly different things than you normally would.

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After the exam

The feedback provided by the examiner and external examiner is intended to help you improve your academic level. Remember that it is not a personal criticism if something did not go well. There is nothing wrong with you as a person. Once some time has passed, sit down and reflect on what went well, what could have gone better, and what you might do differently next time.

If you took part in a group exam, it is a good idea to discuss the feedback together. There may be aspects of the exam or feedback that are unclear to you but which your group members can help explain, or vice versa.

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Exam advice

Nervousness and exams often go hand in hand, and very few students avoid some form of anxiety, particularly before an oral exam. We spoke with a number of EK students and gathered their advice on how they deal with nervousness and oral examinations.
Watch the video and get some helpful advice about what you can do yourself, perhaps you will recognise some of your own experiences in what they describe.

One thing is certain: nobody is alone in feeling nervous.

Breathing exercise

Nervousness can cause you to breathe in an unhealthy way, which can make you feel uncomfortable and even more anxious. Here is a simple breathing exercise that can help you relax and think more positively about your exam:

Take a normal breath in and hold it while slowly counting to five.
When you reach five, slowly breathe out.
Continue taking several breaths where you inhale for 3–4 seconds.
Then exhale for 3–4 seconds.
Make sure you breathe with your abdomen rather than your shoulders. You may place a hand on your stomach and breathe deeply enough that your hand rises and falls with your breathing.
Repeat the exercise several times until you feel in control of your breathing and notice a sense of calm spreading through your body.

Good luck!

Visualisation exercise

The idea behind visualisation is to imagine yourself going through a positive exam experience. This helps your thoughts and body become accustomed to a more comfortable perception of the exam and what you are about to face. Many elite athletes use this technique and benefit from its calming effect.

It is important to visualise the situation in as much detail as possible, even if it feels a little strange at first.

It is a good idea to spend at least five minutes each day in the days leading up to the exam visualising a successful outcome.

If you find it difficult to get started, try imagining the following:

Imagine arriving at EK. You feel good. The weather is pleasant, the sun is shining, and you are relaxed.
Imagine meeting your lecturer and the external examiner. They are smiling, the atmosphere is positive, and you feel completely calm. They want you to succeed.
Imagine giving your presentation. It is going well. You remember everything you planned to say, and your key points come across clearly. The lecturer and examiner seem pleased and are listening attentively.
Imagine answering all of their questions. You take your time. You feel confident, thoughtful, and calm.
Imagine receiving your grade and feedback. It has gone well. The atmosphere is warm and relaxed, and you leave the exam feeling happy and relieved.
Continue adding more details to the story yourself and enjoy the feeling of calm and confidence that it hopefully creates.

Enjoy the exercise!

Shelf help

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Exam ready

Key points

Table of contents

Before the Exam

AI for your preparation

Oral exam

Written exam

Online exam

After the exam

Exam advice