Exam nervesFind out here why it is always important to consider the ways of dealing with stress factors and their causes when looking at exam nerves.... Read more is the term for a stressed condition caused by having to take an exam. This stress often severely impedes both the entire learning process before the exam and the exam itself. This ongoing adverse effect increases the subject’s nervousness, which in turn reinforces both the fear of failure and the experience of failure. That is why exam nerves should never be viewed in isolation as the ‘fear of examinations’ phenomenon. When looking at exam nerves, it is always important to consider the ways of dealing with stress factors and their causes. In most cases, the problem is not so much the fear itself as the accumulated stress. The fear itself is the area where no realistic estimation of the exam situation can be reached. This fear alters both perception and estimation, leading to an irrational approach.