It is examination season. Anxiety is building up, followed by excessive stress and sleepless nights not
only for the students but also for their parents and even teachers. Here are a
few easy and practical tips to overcome examination-related anxiety, reduce stress and
get excellent grades in your forthcoming examination.
1. Focus on quality rather than quantity: Instead
of counting the number of hours you study in a day, focus on how many
chapters you complete thoroughly. Because, it may happen that you sat all
day long, but could not concentrate well for some reason or another.
2.Divide the portion into bits: Divide the
whole syllabus into three categories depending upon the marks carried by each
chapter in your exam question paper, namely—high weighting (In India--weightage), medium weighting and low weighting chapters. The chapters in the ‘high weighting’ category
should be studied, understood, and absorbed first, then the medium weighting ones, and at last, the low weighting ones.
3.Time management: The key to success in
any exam is the proper management of time during your exam. The answers to the questions you are best at should be solved first. The next should be to attempt the
questions with more marks, then those where your awareness is just okay type; and at last,
a few minutes should be kept secure for re-reading the whole answer sheet,
tying the supplemental sheets along with the main sheet, and just browsing
through the whole answer sheet before final submission. Always try to attempt all the questions irrespective of whether you know the answer properly or not. Just try to recall the stuff from your memory, and I am sure, in most cases you will be able to recollect the information.
4.The “Write” Attitude: I have noticed
this tendency among the students who come to me for examination counseling that
they learn their answers very well, but are not able to recall or write during
their main exam. The simple reason is they feel very confident when they learn the answers, and most students have a very good learning capacity. But if they have never tried to write the answers at home,
they will not be able to reproduce the same in the examination hall. Write each and
every answer at home with time management technique I discussed in the
earlier point.
5.Sleep less, suffer more: Those who do
not get enough sleep before and during their exams encounter issues like reduced
concentration and recalling capacity, going blank during the exam, general
anxiety symptoms like sweating, irregular heartbeats, fluctuation in blood
pressure, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, low or excessive hunger, low or
excessive sleep etc. Therefore, it is very important for a student to have
proper sleep.
6.Eat wisely: I would suggest that you break the meals into small portion sizes at
frequent intervals, and time them wisely. Try to avoid fried and spicy food
items. Include more of fresh veggies, fruits, dry fruits, soups etc. Having
dinner around 7.30 or 8 pm will keep the digestive process at ease. For in-between
snacks, consider having fruit bowl, a fistful of nuts and dry fruits. Avoid
outside food as far as possible.
7.Hygiene levels: Maintain proper hygiene.
Take bath every day. High standards of hygiene, if followed, will guard you
against infections. The feeling of cleanliness has got a lot to do with your
overall feeling of well being. When you look clean and well groomed, you feel
confident! And, self-confidence is the key to success.
8.Concentration Enhancers: Take short
breaks after every 45 minutes of studies. Take a few deep breaths to aid
oxygenation in your brain. You may also do “Netrasnan” to freshen up your eyes.
Basic meditation for ten minutes will help you increase focus, keep calm, feel
relaxed and recall better before and during your exams. A small nature walk
also enhances concentration.
9.Book Closure: Close your books at least
two hours before your exam time. What you found difficult throughout the year
will seem even more difficult at this time. Just forget about it, and focus on
what you know better. Resist the desire to revise just before your exam. To
achieve this goal, avoid carrying any books to the examination center.
10.Say no to discussions: Yes, do NOT
participate in any last minute discussions with any fellow student on what he
or she has prepared or left, what can be asked in the exam paper, which chapters are very
important, etc. Such stuff will only increase your anxiety level if you happen
to leave that particular topic for reasons best known to you.
And
the final word: Be happy and confident about yourself.
Give your best. We are all different, with different sets of talents,
capacities, and strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, recognize your own power,
and do the best. Here, I would like to reinforce the saying, “Honesty is the
best policy.” Sometimes it may happen that for fear of being scolded by your
parents, you tend to hide yourself behind the closed doors of your room, and
pretend that you are studying, while you are busy texting on your cell phone, chatting with friend/s on
social networking sites, or just relaxing, doing nothing. This tendency creates
chaos in your emotional world because you know that you were simply pretending to study. The best way to deal with such
a situation is to close the books, and come out of the room, sit, talk with
your family, take a short break or watch a little TV etc.
A word
of caution for parents: I understand the anxiety
parents go through. But they should also understand that no one can study 24*7.
Let your child take breaks at regular intervals. Know your child’s capacity and
expect only what he or she can achieve. Cheer your child up, and provide
emotional support. Heated arguments, comparison with other children, throwing
tantrums on children, emotional outbursts, and unattainable demands are strict
no-no for parents. Be their friend, help them achieve their best. This will
bring peace, harmony and success in everybody’s life in the family.
To help yourself, you may like to have a look at my video on YouTube. This is a calming meditation
video. You may get the link by typing “Manisha Anwekar” in the YouTube search
bar, or just type “Meditation for Success in Exams.” The link is also given here for your ease--
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aNRZNViNt4
Should you need any further assistance, please feel free to contact me on
I wish you my best!
