Is an exam mindset getting in your way?

It’s exam season. Is how you show up today still shaped by an exam mindset?

Exams come with a particular kind of pressure:

Inflexible timelines. External judgement. A very narrow definition of success.

And even long after we’ve left them behind, the mindset that exams cultivate can linger:

🧭 “There’s one right answer.”

🧭 “Mistakes mean failure.”

🧭 “My worth depends on how I perform.”

Then, without realising it, those old patterns can show up in our adult lives:

🔴 In meetings, where we hesitate to speak up

🟡 In perfectionism that slows us down or shuts us down

🟣 In relationships, where we try to ‘earn’ our place by getting it right

With a Needs Understanding lens, these are unconscious strategies to meet deep needs – like acceptance, knowing we’re good enough, or emotional safety.

We’re not doing anything wrong. But we may be doing things that get in the way – of ourselves, or of others.

When our behaviour isn’t serving us, it’s a signal that something underneath needs care.

A shift can come when we stop judging ourselves, and start getting curious instead.

🧭 What matters to me here?

🧭 What am I learning?

🧭 What do I need to thrive?

💭 What exam-season habits are you still carrying – and what might you want to let go of?