The Exam Survival Kit:

What is exam stress?

Exam stress-or test anxiety-is the feeling of apprehension, pressure and nervousness from tests. It is a natural reaction to recognising negative outcomes ( for example: failing the examination) ; it impacts a lot in a person’s routine moreover it results in a more serious problem when it hinders a students ability to focus and perform well. Thus, the student lacks preparation and has a higher chance of failing the class.

Causes of exam stress:

There are multiple reasons why exams are causing immense stress and burden, following are the main points in detail:

• Pupils worry a lot in advance about not getting the grades they desire to set a shining, scintillating future.
• Parents and teachers together expect prominent marks from students and so they are pressured and compete themselves with their fellow friends and the high achievers of the class.
• Seniors fear about getting into a good university, getting high valued and good paid jobs as well as be successful.
• Students want be perfect when no such human can be. They can have skills and knowledge in other fields like sports or art instead of academics.
• Others want to improve from the past so put a great deal of mental pressure on their souls. Such examples include a learner who failed the previous year want to increase their marks and thus pressurise themselves.

Signs of exam stress:

Exam stress effects in various ways. It causes physical, mental, and emotional problems which often worsens academic performance and instead of improving grades they tend to loose more. There are some symptoms of exam stress that you can feel.

 Emotional symptoms includes anxiety, a person gets irritated more and feels overwhelmed. They cry a lot and stay emotional all the time either sad or furious. Panic attacks are also quite frequent. Most puplils’ loose interests in thing they were then fond of during examinations. In simple terms, the candidates loose their spark in exams.

There are some effects that are noticeable, or physical in other terms, which includes headaches, stomach aches, fatigue, disturb in routine and noticeable changes in sleeping or eating habits. Some start to eat a lot while others starve majority of the time. They blank out in tests thus panic increases for the leftover papers. Students get migraines more often; nausea, diarrhoea and insomnia are also common effects. Their sleep schedule is jumbled and messed up. The students heart beat gets more rapid, they are out of breath and sweat even in chilly areas.

In their behaviour they procrastinate more, have difficulty concentrating to study, have memory loss and try to avoid the public. They can loose their kindness and become dull. They start to avoid positive things and due to this they have strained relations with their kith and kin. They think negative about themselves and don’t believe in them. Some try to forget this pressure by smoking, taking illegal drugs or get engaged in other illegal actions.

How to prevent exam stress:

There are numerous ways to prevent exam stress. You can take measures before exams as preparation and after exams to relieve yourselves; aside from that you can control your mind set in a certain way.

Before exams it is advised to break down material into pieces ( however pleased) with a schedule that is fit for you. Try to avoid studying for hours without moving at all  and instead take short breaks after 30 minutes, eat well and sleep about 8 hours. This will make you feel fresh and your mind is peaceful to think in exams. But this does not mean you don’t prepare at all.  Benjamin Franklin  once quoted “By failing to prepare you are preparing to fail”. This quote emphasizes that preparation is important otherwise a soul is bound to fail in their mission. Students can use practice tests or past papers with timers to be familiar with the exam pattern and have trust in themselves. Ask your friends to help if you are unable to understand or ask your teachers. During the night before your exam get everything ready like pens and ID to find time for last minute revision as it is really efficient plus you will remember important points more.

You can fuel your body and brain with nutritious food and are required to sleep well and stop the all night long studies. Make sure to eat something for breakfast: cereals, fruits or beverages. Students should exercise well and can meditate to let go of all the anxiety and stress. Breathing in and out is considered to be the most effective and least time-consuming way. Clinical studies on specific techniques like 4-7-8 breathing have shown a 56% reduction in anxiety symptoms after 8 weeks of regular practice. Students must spread positivity as believing you can do it will help you in succeeding.

After the exams plan something that you prefer doing or going to reward yourself for completing the exams. It’s better to not compare answers with your friends as it will cause distress amongst everyone.

These days there are many websites that allow students to use available resources, take The Jed Foundation for an example. Websites like Khan Academy, Brilliant.org, Mathiogon and Desmos help students to understand the challenging concepts of math more easily.  Past papers are also available for certain curriculums.

Conclusion:

In conclusion to the above stated facts, students must frame failures as opportunities for learning rather than definitive endings. Remember the most successful people in this world have failed multiple times in their respective fields. Always remember that William James, the father of American psychology, once stated : “The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.”  It highlights that you should focus on preparation , effort and self-esteem rather than thinking about failure.

Written By:

Name : Khadija Qasam

Age :13 years

Address: Middle East