My olevels are extremely near and my brain can’t seem to take in any more information. Its like it ran out of energy to do studying.
I already sacrificed my hobby of drawing, playing games and etc, but it feels like I lost interest in everything. Even just typing this out feels draining.
Hi I may not be the best person for this but I am also taking my o levels soon 
You should take a break for a day or two maybe only study for 1-2 hours in those days if you can. Do you think you did well for prelims? If you did, you don’t have anything to worry about and you definitely do deserve a short break and a breather
If you feel like you need improvement, find the areas you need to improve on and then plan what you’re gonna use your time for. It’s not the time spent studying that’s Important, it’s the quality of the study time
hey, I’m sensing a lot of anxiousness here. You placed a high importance on O’Levels that you even give up on your hobbies. But you also know that your mental health is far more important, if not you wouldn’t squeeze out your remaining energy to ask for help.
Firstly, you identified burnout and procrastination, and being aware of this is a good start. You acknowledged burnout, so you need time off ya? What’s making you stop drawing and playing games in the first place? Is it the guilt of not spending your time on something more ‘productive’ (idea of procrastinating)? If so, you might want to reframe down time as productive. Relax to recharge, so that you can go further next. During that period, don’t stress about relaxing, and definitely don’t feel guilty about relaxing. Keep those books out of sight for the time being and focus on doing things that you enjoy.
At this moment, if drawing and gaming is no longer able to help you relax, consider moving your body, exercise or go out for a walk. What you like to do is quite mind-stimulating, so it might be what’s causing you to feel disinterested since your mind is too occupied. Find something ‘braindead’ to do (maybe avoid social media and doom-scrolling, taking in content can be quite tiring too). Do something that doesn’t require much headspace. For me, I’ll find a quiet room and do some crafting or breaking out a sweat in a walk from one mrt station to the next. I found relief too in hanging my head upside down off the edge of the sofa. Sometimes, it’s so heavy that it can be felt physically, so had to address the physical frustration before going on to do other activities to truly unwind.
On the side, are you afraid of outright failing the O’s? Or are you afraid of not doing good enough with a mere pass; or you fear failing the expectations of others? Cos I felt this is what’s driving your current state of emotions, leading to this burnout-procrastination cycle. Identifying it might help you see what you can control in order to reduce some anxiety and be kinder towards yourself. In all, have a break (have a kit kat ).
hello, as a fellow student, I can understand that it is very stressful especially nearing olevels, and your feelings are valid. I remembered that taking a short 10 min walk near my park was very calming during that stressful period, maybe it could also help you as well. Rooting for you OP and all the best <3
@user7467 Unfortunately no. For a long time I always failed at least four subjects in every set of exams I take. Its kinda why I’m just really stressed out yet I can’t seem to “lock in”.
@user9962 I am afraid, to answer all the three questions you mentioned in your last paragraph.
And… that’s it.
Well usually for prelims it’s slightly worse than actual O levels
Maybe you can look into changing or even revolutionizing your study methods? I’d take a short breather, if the stress is too high it may impact your performance as well
This is just what I’d do though I’m really sorry you are going through this 
It must be extremely stressful for you, struggling to stay afloat of grades and expectations. It is very hard to control the expectations of others on us, especially if they are not willing to hear us out. At the very least, we can be in control of our own expectations and brace ourselves on what is to come. Just sharing some thoughts (I’m not a professional, so take what’s comfortable for you and ignore what’s not).
For yourself first:
where would you like to be after O’s? Is there a place in mind? We can maybe narrow down the areas and intensity of studies to hit that goal? Also, don’t equate a longer path as a bad path. Some specializations take longer routes to get their certification, it’s just what would you like to dedicate yourself to? (and yes, this can change down life, exams and certifications are meant to help you open more doors/ shortcuts if you have no idea.)
You probably heard this many times that ‘this is your life’, but parents expectations are very real and heavy and they can be for life too. It would help for you to determine what are your own expectations and what are theirs and concentrate on working towards your own goal. Small steps first. Look up on ‘emotional regulation techniques’ as I think you will face quite some resistance and shaming along the way. It can’t be helped that their emotions will affect yours; They are your parents after all, but you have your own emotions to take care of over theirs. It is a skill to learn to separate theirs and yours. I think mindline website has some help tips too.
Regarding studies tips, because you still cared for it:
You mentioned the decline from Sec 3 onwards. Apart from the parental stresses, were you struggling with the foundations of new concepts taught to you? It will be great if there is a teacher/ study group in school you can approach for help in revision, but if self help is the only way for you, consider checking online for resources (just type the whole question into google, likely it has been asked before). I find running my questions with ChatGPT to be quite helpful as I can get it to breakdown the solution for me to understand the concepts better (keep asking why and how, and fact check with google).
For those that need you to memorise, writing notes and summarising can help you to register some things better. And if you find it very hard to absorb anymore, take a break. It’s scientifically proven that we can’t concentrate for long periods of time, so go for those breaks as often as you need to.
And we can’t be memorising everything, so maybe start with those that may interest you/ the ones you are better at? A more tactical approach is to check out recent past year papers to better gauge the questions and plan how you would want to approach the coming exams. I would start with the easier questions and mark those that are too difficult for a later time. If what i know doesn’t add up to a pass, I’ll check what are those that are somewhat within reach and tackle them, try to identify the missing knowledge and zone into them.
throwing this here too: SGExams RedditI did glean some study tips from this reddit, some even point to you what to concentrate on. Just need to search on the subject you want to tackle, or even start asking on it.
Dealing with parents:
I admit this is idealistic, but consider still, talking to your mum and dad about this issue (cos this is not gonna be the only time they will expect things of you). Frame it in a way that ‘you are trying/ tried your best but you are afraid you will still fail’. Avoid pointing your finger at them as it will likely cause them to become defensive and rebut, but concentrate on your current state of performance stress, fears and self-expectations. Cry if you need to; likely it will come to nothing from them and you may leave sad and unheard, but at least you stood up for yourself and made your statement; come results day and if it was as bad as mentioned, you’ve stated your struggles and they shouldn’t be surprised. Just maybe choose a time when your mum is in a happier mood and your dad is relaxed. If you are aware of any one parent having a bigger influence on another, consider speaking one on one. Avoid speaking right before the exams as it might affect your performance. After exams is still ok too, its about the future here now.
lastly, consider talking to a professional counsellor if you need to get something off your chest immediately to carry on with studying (try mindline’s hotline 1771 or WhatsApp +65-6669-1771). I’m sensing there are some deeper grievances with your mom there that is affecting your emotional state and in turn, causing your inability to perform academically. It would be better to address them early in life than let it surface stronger later down the road. All the best to you on your journey 
Thank you for sharing your feelings.
It sounds like you’re completely exhausted, and that’s understandable with how much pressure the O-Levels bring. You’ve been pushing yourself so hard, sacrificing things you enjoy, and it’s taken a real toll on your energy and motivation. What you’re feeling isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s your mind and body telling you that they’re overwhelmed and need rest.
It might help to take small breaks, even just 10 to 15 minutes, to breathe, stretch, or do something that calms you. Rest isn’t wasting time, it actually helps your brain recover and absorb information better. Try to be kind to yourself, because you’ve already worked hard to get this far. You still care, and that shows your dedication. The O-Levels are important, but your well-being matters just as much!