Exam Fear| Monica’s Archives

In India, exams create a different environment altogether. From parents to students, everyone is under deep stress and if we go in-depth, the reason is competition and comparison. While parents are stressed about their societal status, innocent kids are stressed to see their parents going through the phase. Apart from this, the peer pressure and school pressure makes the situation worse. Fear usually leads to stress, thus developing anxiety and depression in students. This ultimately results in performing poorly in exams.

Some possible reasons for exam fear may be:

Ø  High expectations of parents

Ø  Parents imposing their ambitions on them

Ø  Constant comparison with other kids can be their older sibling

Ø  Insulting remarks from teachers

Ø  Irregular coverage of the entire syllabus

Ø  Reading without understanding the topic

Ø  Unable to recollect the material

Ø  Not making revision notes

Ø  Negative thinking and self-criticism

Ø  Irrational beliefs and demands. Like, “if I don’t pass, my family and friends will lose respect for me.” “I have to get at least 98% or I am worthless”.

Ø  Fear of failure 

To reduce examination stress, prepare well for the examination. Some tips for preparing well:

·         Start revising early. As you are given the date-sheet quite before, start revising accordingly. Each student is different. Everyone has his/her own capacities. Make a time-table according to your capabilities. Which subject or topics you find difficult, may take more time than others.

·         Make a list for each subject for topics from difficult to easy.

·         Do not study only one subject the whole day, it may be boring. Take two subjects in a day and try out.

Example:

2:00 pm to 4pm – Science Chapter 8

6:00 pm to 8pm – Mathematics Chapter 5

Allot time according to availability.

·         Allocate time for breaks. Breaks bring back enthusiasm while studying.

·         Sleep well for at least 6-7 hours.

·         Make notes - may be in bullet points, flow charts or pictured format. These are very handy to recollect during exams.

·         If you are facing some difficulty with any topic, take the help of your parents or teachers.

·         Solve sample papers.

·         Exercise regularly. It can be any form - running, dancing, cycling, gym, yoga, playing some sport or brisk walking.

·         Have a balanced meal and keep yourself hydrated.

During exam days:

ü  Take full night sleep before your exam day.

ü  Never skip your breakfast or any other meal. Avoid heavy and oily food.

ü  When you study, do stretching exercises after every 2-3 hours.

ü  Arrange all your things on the night which you have to take for your exam. Like pens, pencils, a ruler, etc.

ü  Reach the exam room at least 10 minutes before entry time. Go to the washroom and have some water.

ü  Avoid discussing much preparation with your friends before the exam as it may confuse you.

ü  Think positive. Do self-talks like “I can do it”.

During examination:

§  First of all, fill the required information on the answer sheet.

§  Read the instructions carefully to figure out if you have a choice of questions, the number of questions to be attempted, etc.

§  Read the whole question paper to find out which questions are difficult and which are easy for you. If the paper is in sections, attempt the full section in one place with answering from easy to difficult. If you do not know some questions, then leave someplace for it and move to another section. As you answer a question, put a tick mark for it on the question paper, so that no question is left unattempted.

§  Allocate time for each question and stick to it. Try to finish your paper 10 minutes early, so that you can revise your answer sheet.

§  Handwriting should be neat and readable.

§  Put your answer in points wherever possible.

§  Illustrate through flow charts and diagrams.

§  Highlight or underline main points, but do it in the last.

In the last, I would like to give the tips given by our honorable Prime Minister:

·         Students must not compete with others but with themselves. They must get rid of the exam fear completely. They should have smiling faces during exams, their parents should be stress-free, and teachers should assure the same.

·         Instead of chasing after numbers, students should strive to gain knowledge. Realize that marks are not everything. Parents should not pressurize their children. One should remember the world is full of opportunities.

·         Parents should maintain a happy and lively environment in the house as it could be directly proportional to the educational performance of their children as well. Take care of your mental health.

·         Manage technology-use well – Mobile phones can be extremely distracting during exams. Not let technology rule you, rather, rule the technology.

·         Don’t be afraid of failure. Every failure is a step towards success. Students should maintain the confidence which can help battle the stress and improve focus on the exams.

·         Do something instead of becoming something. Students face a lot of stress because they are worried about becoming a great person. Students think if they fail the exam, they may fail to become what they have decided. So instead of dreaming about becoming something rather dream about doing something.

·         Take adequate sleep and a balanced diet which improves one’s health to a great extent.

Tips for parents – Encourage your kids. Parents have their ability to address underlying fears that may be present with test-taking. At a deep level, even subconsciously, a student may fear failure for a variety of reasons. There could be a fear of looking dumb to friends, of not getting into the best school, or of not meeting parent’s expectations. A great help is for parents to reinforce their unconditional support and encouragement to the child. Let your child know that their grade does not determine their worth. Believe in your child.

Last but not the least, staying positive about the exams is the foremost factor for any student appearing for the exam. Saying to oneself that you will pass the exam will bring positive results.

                                                         All the Best!