How to beat exam stress: Here are some dos and don’ts to overcome challenges

Hyderabad: Come February, students are under tremendous stress. From mid-February to early April, CBSE, and ICSE would conduct the exams for different classes. Particularly the students of class X and class XII are facing the exam heat,

Every year, students appearing for board exams are the most stressed out lot. From running away to committing suicide, students have resorted to many of these unwanted and unfortunate means to evade the exams. They are conditioned into thinking by the education system and families that it is like a do-or-die situation. Students are made to feel that if they cannot perform well in board exams, their future and career would be at stake and they would not be able to get admission in good colleges.

To combat this exam fever and perform optimally in their exams, this week, Dr Koganti Charan Teja, neuropsychiatrist at KIMS and associate professor at VRK Medical College has come up with dos and don’ts to help students, parents, and teachers overcome the stressful times.

“Believe it or not, having moderate anxiety is good for optimum performance. However, too much anxiety is as bad as too little or no anxiety at all as in both extreme cases, students tend to perform poorly either due to excessive exam fear and stress or due to overconfidence and not studying properly or just in the last minute, said Dr Charan Teja as he proceeded to list out the dos and don’ts for students, parents and teachers.

Time management, while answering questions, is crucial

Divide time smartly among all the questions: Most students fare badly because of poor time management while answering the questions. They spend a lot of time answering the first question or initial questions and when they reach the last question, they hardly have any time left therefore they have to leave the question unanswered or incomplete even if they know the answer. This adds to their stress and guilt feeling. It is advisable to divide the time set for the questions depending on the length and marks for each, instead of spending most of the time writing a lengthy answer for the first question.

Mock tests are important: For better time management and to get a hang of the type of questions, it is essential to solve previous years’ question papers and take mock tests within a stipulated time (of the actual exam) and try to finish answering all the questions within the deadline.

Do not study just before the exam or at the last moment: Students tend to forget more if they try to read everything just before the exam. Also, do not be around classmates who are nervous or anxious and make other students feel stressed too. Stay in a quiet place for some time and take deep breaths before entering the exam hall.

Eat and sleep right: During exam days, eat high-fiber food like vegetables, fruits, and whole grains like wheat, oats, and cereals. Avoid oily, fatty, too sweet foods and avoid over-eating as well. Six to seven hours of undisturbed sleep is also very important. Even if you do not get sleep, close your eyes and rest your brain. Without proper sleep, or if you study when sleepy, you tend to forget whatever you studied. Memory consolidation happens during sleep and whatever one has studied, gets translated into long-term memory. Sleep-deprived students cannot properly recall what they have studied.

Group study: Group studies are a good way to beat the exam stress. Discussion with classmates opens up more perspectives and the student can remember better.

Be seated comfortably: The student must get seated comfortably in the exam center. They should also carry some healthy snacks like fruit, dry fruits, or biscuits drink lots of water and buttermilk, and eat the snacks while writing the exam if they feel hungry. If not seated comfortably but in a tense manner, then a negative feedback or anxiety message is carried from the tensed muscles to the brain, causing the brain to release anxiety hormones. Even while preparing for the exams at home, the students can simulate the environment of the exam center by sitting on a chair and table at a quiet place. This can help them concentrate better during the real exam since their minds can relate to a similar environment.

Advice for Parents

Never make comparisons among the students: Whether your child is academically strong or weak, never compare your children with their classmates or peer group, neighbor’s kids, and also their siblings. They should also stop comparing themselves by saying things such as “When I was your age, I scored much better than you,” etc. Comparisons have been found to trigger an inferiority complex, jealousy, and rage in children, which have serious repercussions in adult life.

Stay by the kids: When the children are studying, parents should preferably sit near them to motivate them, be moral support for them, and also prepare some snacks or meals for the children, which they can eat while studying.

Do not dwell much on the exam once it’s over: Once the exam is over, do not discuss the paper in detail or question them about their mistakes, rather help them move on and prepare for the next exam with a calm mind.

Pick up and drop is not compulsory: Parents can drop the students to their exam center or pick them up after the exams if it is convenient to do so. However, it is not advisable to stay outside the exam center for the entire duration of the exam.

Teachers take note…

Treat students without bias: There are certain responsibilities that teachers must take up, which will help reduce the stress level in students. First and foremost, just like parents, teachers too should stop comparing the students about their grades and performances in class. They should treat all students without bias or special preference to some. Some schools have started grades and percentile systems to reduce competition and comparison.

Give attention to students individually: Secondly, schools should have the concept of a moderator who can individually assess the students. For example, a class of 30 or 40 students can be divided into smaller groups. Weekly meetings can be conducted with a teacher for each group. Here the teacher can help clear the doubts of students, check their handwriting, share tips and tricks for writing satisfactory exams and time management, etc.

Board exams are not life’s decision makers: Parents and teachers must motivate students to give their best in the board exams. But at the same time, students should be taught to keep plans B, C, and D ready in case they cannot score too high to get admission to a course or college as desired. They should be told that there is a wide array of interesting and lucrative career options to choose from other than medical and engineering. The teachers and parents must make the students understand that board exams are not the sole determining factors for one’s career and life.