Your Essential Exam Survival Guide: TOTUM Official Blog

As much fun as university is (and it is a lot of fun!), it’s also a time of stress and intensity, with lots of exams cropping up throughout the year… and the closer you get to the end of your uni career, the more important these exams are!

We’ve just had one round of assessments in January and our thoughts are now turning to the summer exam period, so you’ve got three months or thereabouts to get yourselves as ready as you can be to smash your various modules.

Proper planning and preparation is absolutely key for success and you don’t want to feel under the cosh in May, so put the hours in now and you’ll be well ahead of the game come exam time.

Equally, however, you don’t want to put too much pressure on yourself as you could burn out quite quickly - and no one ever got a first without maintaining some semblance of balance between work and fun. For a really great - and free - anxiety relief kit for students, check out this blog from SaveMyExams - it’s super helpful!

So, with all that in mind, here’s your essential exam survival guide from the good folk here at TOTUM to ensure that you get the grades you need without having to sell your soul to the scholastic devil.

We’d love to hear any tips or tricks you have for winning exam season, as well… so get in touch to let us know!

Eat well!

Brain food is a must at exam time so make sure that you’re eating regular meals and enjoying lots of delicious nourishing food. It’s easy to be tempted by ready meals and takeaways when you’re busy studying and have your nose in your books, but don’t sacrifice health for convenience or you might regret it.

It just so happens you can check out our blog: Best Brain-Boosting Foods To Fuel Your Mind For Exam Season to make sure you're doing all you can to get your brain in shape!

We’ve also got an amazing exclusive student recipe box discount with Gousto up for grabs where you can get 55 per cent off your first box, 30 per cent off your next three boxes and then ten per cent off for the next 12 months, ensuring that you can keep your energy levels up without reaching for the Deliveroo app - although we do also happen to offer free Deliveroo delivery for students all year for when you just can't be bothered...

The added benefit is that you’ll have to take a break from the books to do some cooking, ensuring that you return to your studies feeling fully recharged and refreshed.

Blow off some steam!

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy… and the same is no doubt true for Jill! If you feel like nothing you’re reading is going in, you know it’s time to take a break and one of the best ways to reenergise yourself is by doing some kind of physical activity.

Yes, you could hit the gym or go for a run, but what about socialising at the same time as moving your body? There’s nothing quite like a bit of urban axe throwing to bust that exam stress and we’ve got a 20 per cent student discount on off-peak sessions at Whistle Punks sites available right now… so start warming up your throwing arms right now!

Reward yourself!

When you’ve got a heavy workload, it can be very overwhelming - and it’s very easy to feel so overwhelmed that you find yourself completely paralysed, unable to do any work at all.

Break everything down into achievable chunks and set yourself little rewards when you complete each chunk. You’ll get through your tasks in no time and be all the happier for it.

If you’re looking for a special reward right now, you might find what you’re after with our health and beauty student discount offer from Cult Beauty where you can get 15 per cent of practically anything on the site. Can’t say fairer than that!

Get your tech up to date

It’s the digital age and you can’t expect to ace your exams if your technology isn’t up to scratch.

If your laptops and tablets are starting to show their age, it’s probably time for an upgrade… which couldn’t be easier than with our student technology discount with Acer, giving you a budget-busting 15 per cent of all products, including tablets, monitors, desktops, notebooks, projectors and accessories. Winning!

Book a trip

When you’re stressed and anxious over your exams, it can be really difficult to see the wood for the trees, so having something to look forward to once you’ve put your pen to your final paper can make a huge difference to your mental health.

Book a trip for just after your last exam so you can truly celebrate finishing in style. And you can keep costs to a serious minimum with our student travel discount offer from Expedia, with at least ten per cent off your next getaway.

You can make significant savings on hotels, flights and travel packages so you could jet off somewhere amazing at a fraction of the cost. Who knows where your next adventure will be?

Or, if you’d rather not hop on a plane and jet off to foreign climes, we’ve also got lots of UK-wide travel offers available for you to take advantage of, such as discounted train travel with TrainPal, where existing UK railcard users can get ten per cent off.

Get some sleep!

Sleep is one of your most important strategies when it comes to seeing success in your exams. You’ve got to enjoy good-quality rest on a regular basis or your studies are sure to suffer.

There are lots of ways you can promote good sleep, whether that’s by getting lots of regular exercise, eating well, avoiding screens a few hours before bed, establishing a solid bedtime routine or making sure that your bedroom environment is comfortable and set up for sleep.

If you’ve got an uncomfy bed, you can bet that rest will prove elusive - so check out our ace student discount that we’re running in partnership with Simba where you can enjoy a whopping 20 per cent off premium mattresses and pillows. You’ll soon be sleeping like kings!