Enrichment · Wellbeing

Big week coming.
Make a plan for the stress too.

List every test and deadline with how ready you feel, then plan for the stress the same way you plan the studying: enough sleep, two or three coping skills you have practiced, what you will do in the first minute of the test, and who you can talk to.

Make a planWhat you get

Stress plans

The worked example is made up: a high school finals week with three tests in three days, and a middle school science test the day after tomorrow. Plans save on this device only.

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What you get

Enrichment · WellbeingFree

What you finish with
A plan per busy stretch with the grade band, start date, how stressed and for how long; every test and deadline with its date and readiness; a sleep target; six coping skills marked to use or try; a test-day plan; someone to talk to; flags for three items within three days, a shaky test within three days, too little sleep for the age and strong stress lasting two weeks or more; days to the next item.
Who it is for
Middle school, high school and college students facing tests, finals or a pile of deadlines, and the parents, teachers and counselors who help them plan.
Format
Browser planner with a saved plan per stretch. Prints a plan, all plans or a blank form; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
Free. No account, no sign-in and nothing to install. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Wellbeing space in Caveat Enrichment.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. List everything due in the stretch with a date.
  2. Rate how ready you feel for each, honestly.
  3. Set a sleep target and keep it, even the night before.
  4. Pick two or three coping skills and practice them this week.
  5. Write your test-day plan and name someone you can talk to.

Make a plan

One minute, one breath at a time

Breathe out longer than you breathe inin for 4out for 6About six breaths a minute. Try it for one minute before you start.Breathe out longer than you breathe inin for 4out for 6About six breaths a minute.
A longer breath out is one of the quickest ways to settle a racing heart before a test, and you can do it at your desk without anyone noticing.

What the research supports

Practicing with self-quizzes spread over several days beats rereading. Writing about test worries for ten minutes just before a test helped anxious students do better in one well-known study, and thinking of a racing heart as energy rather than danger has helped in others. Sleep is when the brain keeps what you studied.

When stress is more than a busy week

Stress before tests is normal. If it lasts for weeks, keeps you from sleeping or eating, or you start to feel hopeless, tell a parent, a teacher or your school counselor. This guide is for planning; it is not a diagnosis or treatment. If you are ever not safe, call or text 988.

Sources

  1. Ramirez, G., & Beilock, S. L. (2011). Writing about testing worries boosts exam performance in the classroom. Science, 331(6014), 211–213.
  2. Jamieson, J. P., Mendes, W. B., Blackstock, E., & Schmader, T. (2010). Turning the knots in your stomach into bows: Reappraising arousal improves performance on the GRE. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 46(1), 208–212.
  3. Roediger, H. L., & Karpicke, J. D. (2006). Test-enhanced learning. Psychological Science, 17(3), 249–255.
  4. Paruthi, S., et al. (2016). Recommended amount of sleep for pediatric populations: a consensus statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 12(6), 785–786.
  5. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (samhsa.gov/find-help/988).

The worked example is made up. This guide is for planning and coping with everyday school stress; it is not a screening, diagnosis or treatment. Call or text 988 any time, or call 911 in an emergency. Plans stay on this device until you print or export them. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.