Stressed about exams?

Heather

Originally appeared online in the teen series Trending - April 22, 2025.

At my school in Sweden, where I live, I was enrolled in a two-year program in the International Baccalaureate curriculum, a program that helps students prepare for university. It’s extremely rigorous, with demanding classwork, many assessments, mock exams, and final exams at the end of the two years. The mock exams at the end of the first year determined whether we would be required to redo that year.

During most of my first year, I handled the work quite well. It was challenging but enjoyable. I was able to meet all of my deadlines for school and extracurriculars. The closer the mock exams got, though, the more I started to hear comments from my classmates like “I can’t do this,” “I’m going to fail,” “I don’t have time,” and, “This is impossible”—and I started to believe the same things for myself.

As the exams got even closer, I had more to do and less time to do it. The more I did, the less I remembered and understood and the more stressed I felt.

At first, I didn’t turn to God in prayer for help or comfort. I just tried to tough it out.

At first, I didn’t turn to God in prayer for help or comfort. I just tried to tough it out. But after having many late nights, wasting hours through procrastination, and feeling extremely tired, I was stuck. It was then that I started to pray.

Prayer isn’t asking God to change things but rather listening to what God, Spirit, is telling us about our true, spiritual identity as His child. And since He created this identity, it’s wholly good, peaceful, and intelligent. Praying this way helps us to recognize what’s real and what’s unreal.

I’d learned from studying Christian Science that what’s real is our identity as the reflection of God—created, the Bible tells us, in His image and likeness. As His reflection, we already have everything we need. Up to that point, I hadn’t realized that I had the ability to do everything I needed to do to pass. But prayer enabled me to replace my fears about these exams with what I know is true.

This passage from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy also helped me: “If delusion says, ‘I have lost my memory,’ contradict it. No faculty of Mind is lost. In Science, all being is eternal, spiritual, perfect, harmonious in every action. Let the perfect model be present in your thoughts instead of its demoralized opposite. This spiritualization of thought lets in the light, and brings the divine Mind, Life not death, into your consciousness” (p. 407).

To me, the “perfect model” is the understanding that we reflect infinite capacity, intelligence, and harmony because we are the expression of God. The imperfect model is the view that we are material—flawed and limited. Lifting our thoughts to see the perfect model allows us to realize that we can accomplish anything when we rely on God.

We reflect infinite capacity, intelligence, and harmony because we are the expression of God.

I realized that I didn’t have to limit myself by thinking that I was unable to remember or understand something. The truth is that I am capable—that we all are capable of all good because God’s infinite intelligence is expressed in all of us.

These ideas also helped me stay on track after the exams, while I was trying to meet some extra deadlines before the summer. They allowed me to contradict all of the stress and fear and instead feel calm and confident.

On top of finishing all my deadlines for the summer, I passed all my exams!

Sometimes I get caught up in a pessimistic attitude, especially around exam season, when others around me are sharing negativity. But I have learned to be vigilant—to be aware of what is going on in my thoughts and not let fear or doubt creep in. When I focus on God and see myself as He sees me, there’s no place for fear.