All your education questions answered by Brian Mooney.

My son is studying for the Leaving Cert in June. At the beginning of his biology mock exams earlier this year, he suffered a panic attack. He felt hot, clammy, found it impossible to concentrate and ended up failing. He is doing higher-level biology and has always achieved high marks . I was surprised that it happened in biology - he never appeared to have trouble with this subject - and that it happened at all - he is normally cool and laid back. He is interested in sport and plays a lot of soccer, thereby getting a release through exercise.Would you be able to offer some advice should this happen again during the exams?

This experience must have been very distressing for your son. Every candidate facing into an examination naturally experiences a build-up of stress. This is an essential component in maximising your potential in any competitive situation, whether it is an examination of a sports event. Unfortunately, if the level of stress becomes too high, for a number of possible reasons, the candidate becomes incapable of answering the questions before him or her in an effective manner.

The entire exam process, as organised by our third-level colleges, or by the State Examination Commission for Junior and Leaving Certificate students, is designed to help students perform to their full potential. If any candidate finds himself or herself in the unfortunate situation of feeling overwhelmed by the experience of the exam itself, they should immediately bring their predicament to the attention of the exam supervisor. His or her response will in all cases be supportive and they will act immediately to assist in any way possible. Supervisors have a non-exam student sitting outside the exam hall door and the principal or deputy principal is also normally available to assist.

If you indicate to the exam supervisor that you are feeling distressed and physically unwell, you will be offered the opportunity to leave the exam hall for a few minutes, to remove yourself from the stressful situation. You should walk around in the open air if possible, accompanied by the person nominated by the supervisor, while inhaling deeply and slowly exhaling, which should very quickly restore calm to your mind and body.

Techniques such as imagining yourself in your favourite place can help to restore your sense of balance. You might also benefit from a warm drink of tea or simply a glass of water. The most important advice I can offer, is to seek the support available to enable you to give of your best. Do not just sit in the exam hall and allow waves of panic to pass over you. The exam supervisor may, circumstances permitting, allow you to make up the minutes lost, due to unforeseen illness, which such an attack constitutes, at the end of the examination.

From a preventative perspective, candidates who consider themselves susceptible to such attacks, should consult their family doctor about the use of some of the various remedies available commercially.

Pharmacies and health stores also stock various products which are deemed to induce a sense of relaxation in stressful situations. Prior to considering the use of any such products, candidates need to consider the possible negative effects of inducing too great a sense of relaxation and calm on exam performance.

Exam candidates also need to remember that important as any examination is, it is in no way a measurement of you as a person or of your worth and value in the eyes of those who love and care for you.

As this is my final Q&A of the academic year, may I take this opportunity, to wish all students facing examinations over the coming month my best wishes.

Brian Mooney is the former president of the Institute of Guidance Counsellors.