four tips for calmly approaching the home stretch before the tests

The start of the baccalaureate will be given on Tuesday June 18, with the philosophy test. According to figures from the Ministry of National Education, more than 540,000 candidates from the general and technological sectors will focus on Aristotle, René Descartes, or even Jean-Jacques Rousseau. These free students and candidates will then take the written specialty tests from June 19 to 21, then the grand oral between June 24 and July 3. Three days before the start of this marathon, how to approach the exam and manage your stress? Franceinfo asked the question to a professor, a psychopractitioner and a memory champion. Here is their advice.

Take stock of learning

If you’ve been working all year long, there’s no point in clouding your mind. “It is too late to revolutionize your baccalaureate revisions, it remains a long-term job”, recalls Cécile Cheron, English teacher at Providence Sainte-Thérèse high school in Rouen (Seine-Maritime). But if you are behind in your revisions, there are little tips to enhance your copy. The teacher advises, for example, to concentrate on definitions and quotations, particularly for the philosophy test. You can practice with quizzes, as offered by the Lumni educational platform.

For students who have worked little, as well as those who have learned, but are stressed, Sébastien Martinez, French memory champion in 2015 and author of the book Memory champions (Premier Parallèle editions), recommends taking a sheet of paper and drawing up a table. “We reserve a column for the chapters of the subject, another to note your level of mastery”, he explains. A way to reassure yourself, or to know what your shortcomings are and therefore your work priorities for the weekend. Because time is running out, the memory champion advises finding mnemonic means. For example: tell yourself a story in which you slip the date to remember, find rhymes, or even learn through song.

Beyond pure knowledge, it is important to take stock of the methodology of the tests. “You can test yourself by making assumptions about the stages of the dissertation, then read the annals” to understand the practical application, illustrates Sébastien Martinez.

Accept your stress

Above all, it is necessary “distinguish between stage fright and stress”, estimates Emmanuelle Piquet, psychopractitioner and founder of the A 180 degrees children’s centers. Stage fright, which designates, according to Larousse, “the fear irrational feeling that someone experiences when appearing in public or undergoing an ordeal”, “is motor, saccording to Emmanuelle Piquet. This is what makes us give the best of ourselves. Stress can become very paralyzing.”. Paradoxically, trying to reassure yourself at all costs can increase your stress.

“This fear has virtues, we must accept it. To deny it is to risk seeing it resurface even more violently.”

Emmanuelle Piquet, psychopractitioner

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Consequently, the psychopractitioner advises anxious students to imagine once a day, for a few minutes, “what could happen”, in case of failure in the exam. This allows, according to her, to avoid being totally overwhelmed on the big day.

If stress still builds once you’re in front of your copy, she suggests turning your paper over and taking a few minutes to do something else, like draw. “It’s not wasted time, because we are realigning ourselves. The student is no longer trying to force himself to obtain something in vain.” she explains. Sébastien Martinez suggests desacralize, as best as possible, the fallout from the exam. “Either way, you will come out of this having learned a lot about yourself,” he emphasizes.

Freshen up your mind and body

Also take advantage of the last few hours to look up from your notebooks. “This could be watching a good series, spending time with friends, or doing a sporting activity.”, suggests Cécile Cheron. One last piece of advice shared by Sébastien Martinez, for whom “get moving” is the best way to clear your mind. “Avoid trying a sport for the first time, in which you will be more likely to injure yourself”he warns, however.

Establish a routine

Finally, it is important to put yourself in good conditions between now and the big day. Ideally, this involves stopping screens “two or three hours” before nighttime, suggests Sébastien Martinez, for the most restful sleep possible. He also recommends getting up and going to bed early, at the same times as you will during the baccalaureate. The day before a test, it is best to eat light. You can also reread your course one last time to reassure yourself, but, according to Cécile Cheron“the scope will be more symbolic than educational”.