Nervous about IELTS? Practical ways to stay calm
Exam nerves are normal. Simple techniques for before and during the test, and how practice under exam conditions reduces anxiety.
By IELTSora teaching team · Updated · 2 min read
Nerves are normal
Almost everyone feels nervous before IELTS. A little nervousness can even help you focus. The aim is not to feel nothing, but to stop nerves from taking over.
Make the test familiar
The best cure for test anxiety is familiarity. If you have taken several full mock tests under real timing, the real test feels like one more practice.
- Take at least three full mock tests before your exam.
- Practise in exam mode, where Listening plays once.
- Practise speaking to a timer so two minutes no longer feels long.
In the moment
If your mind goes blank, breathe out slowly for longer than you breathe in, for three or four breaths. Then do one small thing: read the next question, or write one word of your plan.
In Speaking, it is fine to say "Sorry, could you repeat the question?" or "Let me think about that for a second."
Keep it in proportion
You can take IELTS again if you need to. One test doesn't decide your future, and knowing that often makes it easier to perform well.
Build a pre-test routine
A familiar routine calms the mind because there are fewer decisions to make. In the last week, practise the same steps before each mock test: the same breakfast, the same warm-up of answering two Speaking questions aloud, and the same check of your materials. On test day, do exactly the same. Your brain will recognise the pattern as practice, not danger.