Examinations are something which can make or break the confidence of students. With examinations, comes stress. It is essential to handle it with care and make sure that students feel less anxious and worried before appearing for their examinations. In the following blog, we will be discussing exam stress, and how it can be managed in an efficient manner.
What is exam stress?
The examination time for students is always the hardest. There are feelings of anxiety, nervousness, and worry. Being overwhelmed during the examination period can lead to examination stress and influence one’s performance and results. As a result of which, it is important for teachers, parents and students to understand how this stress stems and start working early to prevent it or at least handle it efficiently.
With the class 10th and 12th board examinations approaching in the coming months, students are overwhelmed with feelings of stress and anxiety, and even with enough preparation they may feel like their preparation is not enough or doubt their efforts. At this time it is crucial for parents and teachers to handle the concerns and stress of their students sensitively.
Understanding these various concerns of students, the best-experienced teachers from our online tuition platform have shared their expert advice on how to deal with exam stress.
7 tips to manage exam stress- Make for parents and for students.
1. Set achievable goals.
For Students- When the examination period gets closer, it is essential to focus on setting achievable goals for better organisation of study material. There are a few things that students must keep in mind while setting achievable goals-
- Study harder subjects first, as they require more time and effort and working on them first gives you enough time to practice them again and strengthen your basics. Hence, set your goals accordingly.
- Set realistic goals for completing your studies based on how much you can learn in a day/hour. This can lead to better results in terms of learning outcomes and keep your stress managed.
- Give yourself some breaks between your study sessions. This keeps your focus intact and prevents burnout.
- Remember to not get frustrated if you are unable to complete a certain task or some part of some subject. It is all part of the learning process.
- Think of small ways of rewarding yourself when you achieve a goal. This is known as self-reinforcement. This will keep you motivated and enhance your ability to perform your tasks.
For Parents– Parents must motivate their children to set achievable and realistic goals, they should give them the freedom to do so on their own so as to teach them independence and self-management but be there for them in case they get lost or are unable to manage their studies. Parents can provide them with morale-boosting affirmations which keep them motivated and support their journey, which can be quite stressful during the examination period.
2. Time management is the key.
For Students- Making an academic calendar from the start of the session can be extremely helpful in organising one’s time and efforts towards different subjects. There are some subjects like math and science that require regular practice and more effort, hence working consistently throughout can bring fruitful results and not let the stress of studies get to your head in the end when the examinations are approaching. Some key ways in which time management can be done during the examination have been described in detail in our blog on time management, be sure to check it out
For Parents– Parents can make sure that their children follow up on the schedule they have set for themselves, by checking up on them in small ways like taking their regular tests to see their progress and keeping a track of their notes and homework. Another way in which they can ensure that their child is able to manage their time efficiently is by enrolling them in online tuition classes. Platforms like 88Guru have 5000+ practice tests, notes and LIVE doubt classes which can keep children’s exam stress at bay. Online tuition classes save time and provide access to quality education from the comfort of home.
3. Study with peers.
- Studies have shown that studying together leads to better grades and better retention of material.
- When students learn and teach each other different concepts, they are likely to have a much deeper understanding of their subject matter.
- It also helps in reducing test anxiety and leads to better results in examinations.
4. Eat and sleep well.
For Students- The importance of eating and sleeping well during the examination period has been emphasized upon by psychologists, researchers and educators. Having a proper diet of protein and carbohydrates can sharpen the brain and help students in managing their stress levels, the same goes for good sleep. 8-10 hours of sleep is essential in order to function properly and write an exam confidently, with full focus and concentration. However, due to the overwhelming feelings of stress and anxiety, students often eat poorly and pull all-nighters to complete their content material, hence not getting enough sleep. This impacts their ability to write their exam and influences their concentration and focus levels. Keeping this problem in mind, here are a few tips to eat and sleep well during the examination period-
- Avoid eating oily food and all kinds of junk food, as it does not give your energy. Focus on eating fruits and vegetables along with homemade meals. Check out this video which explains how to manage your diet during exams
- Try to complete your studies and learning before 10 pm, pulling all-nighters will only make you sleepy throughout the day and affect your learning outcomes.
- Wake up early and study. Science has shown that the best learning happens in the morning hours, hence take advantage of that and do most of your learning then since the mind is the sharpest and calm then.
For Parents– The best role that parents can play in this aspect is managing the meal timing of their children. Since, children at times do not understand how important healthy food is and why is it necessary to eat all meals, parents should understand and provide accordingly. Keeping a check on their study schedule and making sure that their children sleep and wake up on time can be beneficial for them.
5. Study smart
- Chunking– This psychological technique can help in improving your memory. This involves grouping together small pieces of information together into larger, more easily rememberable groups. This technique of connecting and remembering things can be really beneficial for long-term memory and leads to better learning retention. To learn more about chunking and how to use it, check out this useful and informative video describing the process- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wczh3ztgN3I
- Context-dependent memory– According to a famous psychologist Endel Tulving, when we learn new information, different aspects of the environment, such as the physical surroundings along with our mental states can influence our learning process. Thus came the concept of context-dependent memory, which refers to a condition wherein recall of information is better if it is done in a similar environment as the one during the learning process. For example- sitting in a quiet room while studying important subjects can be beneficial as when during the examination, you are trying to retrieve information to write, the context or the environment of a quiet room will be similar to the environment to when you were studying, this will lead to better recall of information.
- Mnemonics– This is by far the most commonly used technique for studying smart. This involves learning information by integrating them into patterns, associations and ideas which helps in remembering information better. For example- Students are taught the acronym VIBGYOR to remember the colours of a rainbow. This a highly efficient technique which can help students during their examinations. There are various types of Mnemonics that can be used by students, check out this pdf to know about these different methods.
6. Engage in relaxation techniques.
For students- Yoga and meditation have been proven to be the best for relaxation when it comes to stress about examinations. While it may not be possible to do yoga at all times, the goal is to engage in different activities that can help in relieving stress which may be caused due to examinations. Following are some tips that one can follow to feel more relaxed-
- During a break from any study session, a child can engage in meditation for 5 minutes. This can help in clearing the mind and lead to better focus and concentration.
- If a child is unable to do meditation, they should take out 20 minutes of time from their whole day and go for a walk. Being in nature and fresh air can bring clarity to thoughts and lead to better learning afterwards.
- It is a good practice to spend some quality time with family and friends, even if it is only for 15-20 minutes. This can help in breaking the monotony from studying and prevent burnout.
7. Seek help when necessary.
Studying can become overwhelming no matter how prepared you might be. Hence, it is advisable to seek professional help for studies such as online tuition classes which can be extremely beneficial in preparing for examinations, it can make studying more organised, and manageable and give students an edge over others. Along with that students should also seek professional counselling to manage their stress if it gets too much. Counselling can help students in managing their stress and they can learn different coping techniques for their stress.
CONCLUSION-
To conclude, examinations can become a source of stress for students, however joint efforts by parents, teachers, and students themselves can help them in managing it better. Eating and sleeping well, managing time efficiently, seeking help and setting achievable goals can help in better management of the overwhelming feelings of worry and anxiety.
By setting achievable goals, eating, and sleeping well, studying smart and seeking help when It Is necessary in terms of tuition classes and individual counselling, one can better manage their examination stress and the overwhelming feelings of worry and anxiety.
There are certain expectations that one has from themselves like doing well in studies, along with external expectations from parents and teachers which can lead to examination stress and cause feelings of anxiety and stress.
In order to get good grades, it is important to study well, manage time efficiently, use various techniques that can make studying fun and easy and also reduce the study load when the examinations approach. Following these tips can ensure good grades in exams.
One can reduce anxiety about examinations by doing relaxation techniques like yoga and meditation. Along with that, one can seek help from parents, teachers, counselors, and tuition teachers which can make one feel less stressed about their examinations.
