5 Wellbeing Tips for Receiving Exam Results
The SQE hasn’t been around for long, and the pass rate of the first set of SQE1 candidates sat at just 53% so it’s understandable to be anxious about the results of your exams when the stakes are high. It’s the results time of year, and tomorrow those who sat the last SQE2 examination in April will receive their results.
We have put together some tips for anyone who is on the receiving end of results tomorrow or in October for SQE1.
Have a game plan
Understand that with the examination complete, it is now out of your hands and there is nothing that you can do to affect the grading, so be sure to keep an eye on your stress levels. Stress and worry in moderation, are a normal healthy response, but in excess can be damaging. Prior to receiving your results, have a game plan for what you will do following on from this and be sure to do this for all possible outcomes. It is just as important to have a game plan for passing too, for example, what do you intend to do now that you’ve passed? Who will you reach out to, and form connections with? A game plan is equally as important if your results are less favourable. Remember, your law career is a journey that has its ups and downs and will be there to continue, regardless of outcome.
Some ways in which you can have a game plan:
- Make a list of the possible outcomes and their implications
- Make notes on ways in which you can address each outcome
- Who can you connect with? Educational institutes? Prep material providers? Mentors? Firms? How can they help with either outcome? What more can you do to prepare for resits in the coming months?
- Are there any societies that can help or groups you can chat with other students? Our SQE study group is a great way to learn more about the SQE and available opportunities and learning material. In addition to this our Alumni group is great for networking and opportunities post-assessment. Communicating with people in a similar situation to yourself is both beneficial and reassuring.
Combat stress
The SQE is stressful and can be quite challenging. Up until this point you’ve worked hard to do everything necessary to prepare for taking the SQE2 examination, in addition to this the field of law is no stranger to stress. So, it’s important to develop and adopt good stress-management habits from early on.
A great way to combat stress in addition to the steps in this blog for this is to find an all-round supplier of wellbeing and mindfulness. Our current students all have access to Spectrum Life for free, which provides a range of services regarding wellbeing and stress including help with sleep, exercise, diet, diversity and inclusion and more. MindShift CBT is another great app and is free as well as being available on both iPhone and Android. This uses cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to teach the user how to adopt relaxation skills, help develop new ways of thinking and adopt healthy activities.
Stay Active
This overlaps with combatting stress as staying active helps alleviate stress, it also ties in with your overall wellbeing, mental health and physical health. Exercise helps increase endorphins, the brain’s feel-good neurotransmitter, it also reduces the negative effects of stress, improves your mood and acts as a form of meditation.
Ways in which you can stay active:
- Create a morning workout schedule
- Go on lunch time walks, this is particularly great if you’re working in an office job where you’re sat at your desk all day.
- Take yoga classes; this can be online or in person and there are various yoga course videos on YouTube for free you can take part in from the comfort of your own home, here’s one we found for stress and anxiety.
- Engage in local sport clubs and activities, sometimes it takes that extra little bit of motivation of having someone there with you, this doubles up as a fun social event as well as a workout!
Be kind to yourself
The SQE can be tough and it’s still early on in its implementation, so it’s important to be kind to yourself regardless of the outcome, you put in the work and effort and that should be celebrated. One way to be kind to yourself is to ensure you resume normal self-care or even throw in an extra care session. Stress can make it difficult to resume normal healthy habits such as getting a healthy amount of sleep, eating healthy foods and more. Another great idea is to indulge in a self-care session, based on what you find relaxing, whether it’s using face masks, running a bubble bath, listening to therapeutic music or going on a long walk in nature. Here is a great facial massage video that you can use to help alleviate stress, headaches, jaw tension and general anxiety that can help relax your overall body.
Reach out if you need support
Our supervisors are on hand all day tomorrow to support SQE2 students, they will be offering individual chats and discussions about options for every individual.
There are also many wellbeing support networks out there, including our own support package for current students. The College of Legal Practice offers all its current students a comprehensive package of free wellbeing support available to everyone learning at the College. As well as having your assigned Personal Tutor, we have partnered with Spectrum Life to ensure you have all the wellbeing support you need to succeed.
Whether you wish to access materials online yourself, refer yourself for counselling directly or seek advice about anything from improving your mental health or support with parenting the College and Spectrum will support you. Our Student Services Team are also trained in Mental Health first aid.
Other support options you have:
Check out our support packages for our current students here.
Finally, good luck to you all, from our experience, SQE students have worked incredibly hard and if results don’t go your way, you will have the opportunity to try again in October. We are here to support you whatever you choose.