PM’s Pariksha Pe Charcha: Five ways you can beat exam stress and prepare better

Discussing topics you are studying with peers to clarify doubts, while understandable, can also increase stress as you may engage in automatic comparisons with them, says Dr Kamna Chhiber, Clinical Psychologist, Head, Mental Health, Dept of Mental Health and Behavioural Sciences, Fortis Healthcare

Adults, who are around students giving these examinations, also play a prominent role in helping combat stress that can emerge. (Photo: Getty Images/Thinkstock)

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Written by Dr Kamna Chhiber

Every year, we hear about high levels of stress that students experience due to the intense preparation they need to do for and the results they would like to achieve in their board examinations. There is a strong perception that young people harbour, which creates the impression that these examinations are the ultimate test that they would need to take. The skewed manner in which these examinations are approached tend to create faulty thinking and a strong feeling that an inadequate performance would mean complete doom. These thought processes unfortunately stay strongly rooted in the minds of most and often the adults who surround children also find it challenging to provide a balanced perspective.

For students, it is important to keep in mind the following to tackle the stress they experience during this period:

Adopt the right approach: It is critical to ensure you have the right approach in place that involves both learning and cycles of revision of the content you are consuming for the exams. Doing self-tests is important and it is essential to connect with teachers and mentors to clarify doubts and understand where you may have previously made errors.

Avoid making comparisons: Discussing topics you are studying with peers to clarify doubts, while understandable, can also increase stress as you may engage in automatic comparisons with them. It is easy to develop perceptions about how others might be better prepared and that can increase stress. It is best to keep directing attention towards what you need to do and set your own independent goals with regard to the studies you need to do. Honour your own pace and work to build your knowledge accordingly.

A balanced life is crucial: Ensure that while you prepare for your examinations, you are concurrently also working towards maintaining a healthy and balanced lifestyle. Sleep, diet, recreation and exercise are all integral components, which need to go alongside preparations.

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Reach out to teachers and mentors: Remember that your teachers and mentors have your best interest in mind. Discuss with them the approach you can take to be better prepared for the examinations. Understand from them the areas towards which you need to direct your attention to help bolster your results. Seek their guidance in case you do not understand some aspects of the studies you are doing.

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Ensure you speak about your distress: Do not isolate yourself. If you experience distress, talk about what is happening with friends, siblings, parents, teachers or reach out to an expert. Sharing and discussing can help you build perspective and find novel ways of solving problems that you might be experiencing.

Adults, who are around students giving these examinations, also play a prominent role in helping combat stress that can emerge. The following are some points to keep in mind:

1) Keep checking in with them to know how they are feeling and what they are thinking.
2) Encourage them to maintain a healthy and balanced lifestyle.
3) Remind them that these are just one type of examinations they are preparing for and that they need to look at them from the standpoint of learning to build critical life skills.
4) Encourage them to maintain a long-term perspective and see the current examinations as just one experience of life.
5) Guide them, without getting upset or overly critical, on the topics that they may be continuing to find challenging.
6) Board examinations can make students and adults alike experience significant levels of stress and it is crucial that a healthy, balanced perspective is maintained with regard to their impact and influence. Supporting young people and encouraging them to share and express is of critical relevance.