91% of UK Students Experience Exam Anxiety

Exam stress and anxiety are a reality for the vast majority of students who took part in the 2026 Save My Exams Exam Anxiety Survey. Of the 1,288 UK-based students surveyed, 91% said they had experienced exam anxiety in the previous 12 months, up from 85% in 2025.

The findings give us a clearer picture of the pressures students are facing. They also reveal some striking differences between groups, with 96% of female respondents reporting exam stress or anxiety compared with 83% of male respondents.

By understanding what is causing that stress, how it affects students and where they turn for support, we can help students find practical ways to make exam season feel more manageable.

Key Takeaways

The 2026 Save My Exams Exam Stress Survey of 1,288 UK-based students found:

• 91% had experienced exam stress or anxiety in the previous 12 months

• 83% felt moderately, very or extremely anxious about receiving their exam results

• 96% of female respondents had experienced exam stress or anxiety, compared with 83% of male respondents

• 71% had not sought help or support to manage exam stress

91% of students surveyed experienced exam stress or anxiety

For most of the students we surveyed, exam stress and anxiety were a familiar experience. 91% said they had experienced exam stress or anxiety in the previous 12 months, leaving fewer than 1 in 10 who had not.

For many, these feelings were also a regular part of exam life. 53.4% said they sometimes experienced exam stress or anxiety, while 32.4% said they always experienced it. Combined, that's 85.8% of students surveyed who experienced exam stress sometimes or always.

There was also a marked difference between female and male respondents. 96% of female respondents had experienced exam stress or anxiety in the previous 12 months, compared with 83% of male respondents. Female respondents were also more likely to say they experienced it sometimes or always, at 92.5% compared with 75.7% of male respondents.

Exam anxiety continues through to results day

Students' concerns did not end when their exams were over. 82.5% of respondents said they felt moderately, very or extremely anxious about receiving their exam results, including 54.7% who felt very or extremely anxious.

Only 2.9% said they did not feel anxious at all about receiving their results.

Students’ own expectations are the biggest cause of exam stress

For many students, exam pressure comes from their own expectations. 79% of students surveyed said their own expectations contributed to their stress or anxiety. This was the most commonly reported cause.

The future was another major source of pressure. 73.4% said university or future plans contributed to their exam stress.

Revision itself also played a part. 63.5% said the amount of content they needed to learn contributed to their stress, while 55.4% said feeling unprepared was a factor.

Pressure from other people was reported less often. 36.3% cited pressure from parents or carers, compared with 25.5% who cited pressure from teachers or school.

Maths is the subject most likely to cause exam stress

When we asked students which subjects caused them the most exam stress or anxiety, Maths came out on top, selected by 45.5% of respondents. Chemistry and Biology followed closely, at 41.6% and 38.8% respectively.

Maths was particularly stressful for students taking GCSEs. More than half of GCSE respondents (54.9%) selected Maths as a subject that caused them exam stress or anxiety. Among AS or A Level respondents, this fell to 36.5%.

Top 10 subjects students said caused them exam stress

1. Maths: 45.5%

2. Chemistry: 41.6%

3. Biology: 38.8%

4. English Literature: 33.9%

5. Physics: 33.1%

6. English Language: 30.4%

7. History: 13.4%

8. Geography: 12.4%

9. Languages: 10.4%

10. Science: 10.3%

Students could select more than one subject, so the percentages above show how many respondents selected each one.

Difficulty concentrating is the most common symptom of exam stress

Exam stress can affect how students feel, sleep and study. 59% of students surveyed reported difficulty concentrating, making it the most common symptom of exam stress or anxiety.

Sleep was a problem for many students, with 45% reporting trouble sleeping. Other common symptoms included irritability (38%), crying (37.5%), headaches (34.8%) and feeling sick (31.4%).

The survey also found that almost 1 in 5 students surveyed (19.8%) reported panic attacks as a symptom of exam stress or anxiety.

Some symptoms were much more common among female respondents. 53.3% reported trouble sleeping, compared with 32.5% of male respondents. Panic attacks were also reported by 24.7% of female respondents, compared with 11% of male respondents.

71% of students surveyed have not sought help for exam stress

Despite how common exam stress was among the students we surveyed, 71% said they had not sought help or support to manage it. Just 29% said they had reached out for support.

Many students did, however, have their own ways of coping. 54.5% said talking to friends or loved ones helped them manage exam stress, making this the most commonly reported strategy. 42.7% used exercise, while 27.7% used breathing exercises.

By comparison, only 11.2% of respondents said they had used counselling or talking therapy to help them cope with exam stress or anxiety.

Views on the support provided by schools were mixed. 41.5% agreed or strongly agreed that their school provided sufficient support for exam stress. By comparison, 24.6% disagreed or strongly disagreed, while 33.9% neither agreed nor disagreed.

Constance Mantle, CEO at SaveMyExams, comments: “Students often feel ashamed to admit they’re struggling. They may fear judgement, change, or the unknown—or even be in denial. We’re constantly told that hard work is the key to success, so acknowledging that the pressure has become too much can feel like admitting defeat.

“The reality, however, is that the majority are struggling—91%, according to our survey. While this statistic highlights an urgent need for systemic change to better support students, it also offers a degree of comfort. It’s important for students to know they’re not alone, and there’s no shame in finding things difficult. The problem doesn’t lie with them—it lies in the environment they’re being asked to thrive in.”

Get support with our Exam Anxiety Relief Kit

If exam stress is affecting your revision, sleep or concentration, you don't have to simply struggle through it. There are practical ways to manage exam anxiety and make the exam period feel less overwhelming.

Our free Exam Anxiety Relief Kit is designed to help GCSE and A Level students understand and manage exam stress. It includes practical strategies for coping with anxiety, reducing revision stress and feeling more confident as exams approach.

Download the free Exam Anxiety Relief Kit (opens in a new tab)

Remember that revision doesn't have to mean trying to do everything at once. Having a clear plan, using resources that work for you and taking regular breaks can all help make the workload feel more manageable.

You can find more support in the Save My Exams Learning Hub, including advice on revision and preparing for exams.