Overcoming Exam Fear

Marie Curie words, “Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood” are quite important and relevant especially for today’s children who are constantly stressed and burdened to score higher grades.

Here are some vital tips that help students overcome their stress and fare well in exams.

Review Your Notes Thoroughly: Go through all the topics with full concentration. Set targets that you need to complete within a stipulated time and make sure you have ample time for revision. Make sure you revise three to four subjects before hand.

Avoid ‘Mugging’: Link, associate and recall. Avoid by-hearting. Focus on giving your best and avoid thinking about the result.

Avoid Stressful Students: There are other students appearing for the paper with you; some may share their anxiety with you and make you nervous too. Ignore such students.

Be Relaxed And Calm: Think about the stress you’re feeling and write down your stressful thoughts. Replace it with a positive one. Also practice deep breathing. One relaxation mantra, is to recite numbers slowly backwards, Eg: 50 to 1 in a slow and relaxed manner.

Visualize Your Success: It helps to imagine your success. Think of yourself writing the exam and knowing the answers. Visualize the ‘A+’ on the paper after writing the exam. Only when you imagine yourself being successful, you’re more likely to succeed.

Pay Attention To Your Diet: When under stress; we tend to eat anything and regret it later. Have a balanced diet and avoid junk food. Avoid caffeine as it causes acidity, BP problems and gives you a headache which you certainly do not want. Boost your productive levels by eating healthy stuff like whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Eat at intervals through the day to maintain optimum energy levels.

Take Mock Tests: Building self-confidence and maintaining it throughout the test is very important in order to excel. Focused preparation is the key here. Spend time solving previous years’ papers. This increases familiarity with the test pattern of each subject in advance. Make sure you attempt those mock tests in the same format and with the same rules which apply to the actual exams.

Parents Should Be Supportive: It’s exam time not only for the children but also the parents. Moral support is important for the children and need encouraging from parents. Avoid nagging or comparing your child others.