How to prepare for exams when you’re neurodivergent

Exams and stress go together like tea and biscuits - except without any of the enjoyment.

And if you’re neurodivergent, that stress doesn’t just double… it amplifies. 

Suddenly, it’s impossible to ignore even the smallest things, and the exam hall feels like some sort of overstimulating obstacle course designed by someone who’s never met a neurodivergent person in their life.

Take the classic example: the invigilator with the clickety‑clackety shoes. Why do they always wear those? 

Or maybe you’re trying to think about Biology or trying to pass English Literature and instead all you can think about is the buzzing and flickering of the lights overhead, or the people pacing back and forth outside of the room you’re stuck in, or why that one person in the back corner is sniffling every twenty seconds! These tiny sensory disruptions can be enough to derail the entire thought process, and for a neurodivergent individual, it can be impossible to get back on track .

So, yes, exams can often bring stress. But you’re not powerless, and there’s a lot you can do to reduce, or possibly avoid, overwhelm.

• Prepare early and prioritise good communication

The best advice I give anyone who’s neurodivergent or disabled is simple: Prepare early and communicate often.

Everything gets easier when people know what you need. If you have exam accommodations, get them in writing - and bring a copy with you. You don’t want to walk into the room only to find that you’re expected to use pen and paper instead of a computer, that there are other people in your ‘separate’ room, and that the invigilator has no idea they were supposed to be your reader or scribe.” (Yes, each of these has actually happened to me or someone I know).

If there are specific things which can be triggering for you, let relevant staff know before exam day. Even if you’ve never sat a formal exam before, you can still say: “I haven’t done this before, but in other similar situations I’ve experienced X, Y, Z.”

This helps the staff put things in place to help you, whether that help looks like separate rooms, planned breaks, or simply checking in if you look overwhelmed.

The earlier you ask, the better the chances of getting what you need, and the more people know, the smoother exam day will be.

A lot of the stress you may experience on exam day comes from uncertainty, so:

• Make sure that you know exactly when and where your exam is taking place – if you can, maybe download a map of the building, or time how long it takes you to reach the correct room

• Double‑check travel plans or bus timetables – maybe plan to leave early just in case you oversleep

• Pack your bag the night before and lay out the clothes you’re going to wear – everything you handle in advance is one less thing to be concerned about in the morning

• Make sure your pens work, your pencils are sharpened, and your pencil case is see-through

Such small things can change your entire day, providing the difference between arriving at your exam relaxed and confident, anxious but handling it, or stressed out and completely overwhelmed.

• Make your revision realistic, not torturous

Be kind to yourself when it comes to revision. Neurodivergent brains and disabilities don’t work on a strict timetable,  so treat your timetable as a guideline, not a law handed down on stone tablets.

You are not a failure if you don’t finish everything. You’re not even a failure if you don’t finish anything. Sometimes your brain just needs a break, so that it can organise the knowledge you’ve already gone over and be ready to take in more.

However, setting some overarching goals to keep you on track can be helpful, especially on those bad-brain days.

Visual tricks like mind maps, audio recordings, or revising while you do something physical can all prove effective. You could also check out apps like Get Revising or Booost (yes, the one with too many Os), It’s about doing what works for you.

It’s also important to remember that, however hard you revise, you won’t learn everything. Nobody does – not even the people who write the exam questions you have to answer!

Understanding that will help you to deal with pre-exam nerves or the worry that you can’t remember every tiny detail.

• Coping with life during exam season

This part is huge. It’s not just the exams that can cause stress; it’s the fact that your whole routine gets disrupted.

Try following a few simple tips to keep your routine as normal as you can:

• Stick to your usual schedule as much as possible – try to eat, sleep, and get outside whenever you usually would, even if you’re doing those things while revising. Visual timers can be really helpful for this!

• Build in wind-down time – set a time every day when you put down the note cards, exit out of the app, and do something to let your brain recover. Sleep is important, but so is pleasure reading or watching a bit of mindless television, just to let yourself decompress.

• Accept that your sleep might get weird (it’s normal – brains do odd things when we’re stressed!)

• Try journaling, colouring, meditation, or even a good scream in a spare room or into a pillow. Yes, scream therapy is valid - trust me!

On exam days, make that your only big task. Don’t pack your schedule with appointments, errands, or extra responsibilities. Completing that exam and then enjoying some recovery time is more than enough. Don’t sit and wallow over what else you could have written, what answers you would change – instead, maybe grab lunch with some friends, or spend an evening with some pick ‘n’ mix and a DVD of your favourite film (or, more realistically, catch it on streaming!)

You should also take the opportunity to lean on your comfort objects or comfort people. Whether it’s a pet, a favourite hoodie, or a person who gives great hugs, use whatever grounds you to remain calm and focused.

• Exams are important - but they’re not everything 

Whatever you do, it’s likely that you will stress about failing. But it’s important to remember that one exam will not make or break your life.

There are resits. There are alternative routes. There are foundation courses. And there are always, always, people in the same boat as you.

Future employers want to know that you can contribute, that you can add something to their business or lesson or product, not that you got a specific letter (or number, depending on what grading system we're currently using) on a piece of paper.

Let’s be honest: exams assess how well you take exams, not how good you are at the things they’re trying to test. They’re looking at what you remember under incredibly stressful and time-sensitive conditions, not necessarily what you know.

The world is full of people who are brilliant, capable, creative, and skilled… but terrible in an exam hall.

In real life:

• You’re allowed to use the internet

• You can take notes, and you can refer back to them later

• You can ask others for help without being shushed (except possibly in a library!)

• Nobody makes you sit silently for two hours while someone’s shoes echo ominously, or a complete stranger looms over your shoulder and silently judges what you write.

The current system wasn’t built to mimic the real world, and the real world is certainly not designed with neurodivergent people in mind.

So, don’t panic.

Things will probably go wrong – you’ll get two names mixed up, or guess the wrong century for an important historical date – and your answers won’t be perfect.

And perhaps that’s ultimately the best lesson of all to be taken from the exam hall. Just because the system isn’t perfect, it doesn’t mean you can’t succeed within it.

Prepare early. Communicate your needs. Protect your routine. Pace yourself. And remember that you are far more than your exam results, whatever they turn out to be.

You’ve got this!