Objective of the study was to identify the possibilities of implementation and effectiveness of using means and methods of physical education to manage the pre-examination state of the students. Methods and structure of research. Subject to the study were students of St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering, St. Petersburg Polytechnic University of Peter the Great and cadets from the Military Academy of Logistics named after Army General A.V. Khrulev (126 people). Students were split into control and experimental group. Anxiety was estimated by the Ch.D. Spielberger method, adapted by Yu.L. Hanin. Research results and conclusions. The study revealed changes in the students’ emotional state in the pre-examination period. Knowing the level of anxiety and its causes one can develop special exercise sets and control the situation in a timely manner. The use of distance learning forms to training students for independent use of a variety of means and methods of physical education contributed to improving the results of the examination session. It was revealed that the level of anxiety in the students in the pre-examination period does not increase when aerobic exercises of various intensities, breathing exercises, including several types of cyclic breathing and yoga, are included in the daily regimen. The use of various means and methods of physical education enabled the authors to reduce the number of conflict situations during examinations, which helped to increase the effectiveness of the learning process.