Exam tips for neurodivergent and Disabled students

Topics mentioned: exam stress, disability and mental health, ADHD, autism and mental health

About: After taking exams with ADHD and ASD, Rachel shares tips for neurodivergent and Disabled students, from revision plans and exams to asking for adjustments.

Exam formats aren’t always suited to the realities of neurodivergence and disability which can create extra stress. Asking for adjustments is not being demanding – it’s about fairness.

Everyone is different, but I hope my reflections on navigating exams for students who are neurodivergent or Disabled will give you some ideas to plan what you might need to feel prepared.

When the familiar weekly timetable was replaced with the ambiguous instruction to ‘revise’, I felt disorientated. I struggled to follow teacher-led sessions that didn’t suit my learning style and ADHD attention challenges.

My ASD desire for completeness meant that the ‘essential’ task list of what I thought ‘revise’ meant spiralled out of control. My disability tired me out, limited my study time and made focusing hard.

I struggled to move on from topics so I had to rush later ones and, without breaks, I burnt out. I felt isolated by my fears and was a pressure cooker ready to explode.

All of this, along with the tendency of neurodivergent individuals to catastrophise made the exams seem future-determining and the stress feel unbearable. Frantically, I cast friendships, family time and even medical appointments aside and did nothing but study.

In the exam hall, sensory sensitivity meant the sounds of students, invigilators, paper and clocks felt like a hammer in my brain. The seating caused me physical pain and I panicked about frequently needing the bathroom. Because I can’t read a clock, have decision making challenges and a slow processing condition, I was under constant time pressure.

My disability-related nutrition needs and ADHD focus difficulties made long exams even harder. Afterwards, I tried to move rapidly onto the next exam, but my ASD drove me to dissect the paper question-by-question for closure, leaving me less and less prepared. I felt like I was crawling to the finish line.

After exams finished, I was again routine-less and struggling to reconnect with my friends and family.

It was hard when I was under pressure to express what I needed but with time I have worked with others to manage exam stress better. Here are some of the things that helped me manage neurodivergence and Disability at exam time.

Being stressed is normal. Standardised exams don’t always take our needs into account, and therefore don’t always measure our talents. Some people will claim that adjustments are ‘unfair’ or unnecessary, but you have to trust yourself and remember there are people who want to help you do your best.

Remember that you are not the problem. Unfortunately, you have to navigate the system until it is changed. Your exam results do not measure your worth, and your health has to come first.