Psychology graduate, Jess Holsman, wrote a book called How to Survive High School - she talks about it here. You can order the e-book here or buy it at your local bookstore.

ATAR results are out and some of you are elated and others are devastated. Regardless of how you did, https://year13.com.au has some some useful information on what to do next. There are lots of articles, advice and links to agencies and websites. Just remember not to panic. Every successful person has experienced failure to some degree - it makes them more determined. If you didn't get the score you wanted or needed there are plenty of alternate pathways to university and plenty of options other than university. Good luck.

Test anxiety is a subset of performance anxiety. Many students suffer headaches, excessive sweating, nausea, vomiting, upset stomach, rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath or light-headedness leading unto and during a test or exam. Here a some quick tips that you can do in the exam to help yourself calm down:

1. take some slow, deep breaths
2. practise some positive self talk - "I am doing my best and that is good enough", "I am going to rock this exam"
3. tense and relax your muscles
4. visualise yourself passing the test
5. move your body - change positions during the exam.
6. focus on your senses for a moment - what can you hear, see, touch, and smell? Taste might be difficult unless you're allowed to take food into the exam.

​For more information check out the Prepscholar Blog.

It's exam time. Here are 5 steps to study success from Reachout. You can read the  full article on study success here.

Healthy eating is so important if you want to perform at your best - whether it is physical sport or mental gymnastics you are involved in. Nutrition Australia has a healthy eating plan for teenagers. They also have a PDF with the menu and other dietary information for students who are about to sit their final exams. You can find it here.

Eating a breakfast high in protein will fill you up and increase alertness (very important when you're studying and doing exams). Here are some ideas:

• Boiled, poached, scrambled or fried eggs
• Peanut butter on toast
• Porridge
• Wholegrain bagel with cream cheese and smoked salmon
• Smoothies made with milk, frozen yoghurt, fruit and protein powder
• Tim Robards (ex-bachelor) has these cacao shakes which are sugar and dairy free or you can find breakfast super smoothies at www.healthyfoodguide.com.au (pictured above).

Buzzfeed has a useful article on 14 Useful Hacks if you hate studying (and to be honest, who doesn't hate studying). Number 1, If you're at home, try not to wear pyjamas while you study is an easy and useful tip. I would go to work in my pyjamas if I was allowed to, but if you study in your pjs you are more likely to be subconsciously thinking about sleeping and lazing about and not studying. You can read the full article here.

Edith Cowan University have a great fact sheet on 20 Strategies to Overcome Procrastination.  I have found the worst-first approach works very well.  If you get the most unpleasant task done first, it's easier to do the less unpleasant tasks afterwards. There is a saying, how do you eat an elephant? The answer is one mouthful at a time.  This illustrates that even huge tasks can be accomplished if you break them down into manageable steps. I also need physical reminders like post-it notes. You can find the full fact sheet here.

Student Box is a great website for all West Australian students, especially those in years 10-12.  You can find advice on subject choices, study tips, past exam papers, video tutorials and buy and sell text books.  You can register for free.