Exam anxiety is not a sign that you are not smart enough or have not prepared well enough. It is a natural stress response — your body activating its alert system in response to something that matters to you. The problem is that anxiety impairs exactly the cognitive functions you need most in an exam: working memory, clear thinking, and the ability to retrieve information you know. The most effective tools for managing exam anxiety are preparation (so you are not anxious about not knowing the material), physical regulation (breathing slowly, reducing the physical symptoms of anxiety in the exam room), and perspective (reminding yourself that one exam rarely determines everything, even when it feels like it does). Panic in an exam is almost always manageable if you know what to do in the first two minutes.