By Dr. Kavita R. Shanmughan (Psychologist)
Exams are approaching and it is likely that students are undergoing the pressure to perform well. “I’m going to fail”, “I quit”, “I can’t focus” some of the students’ think within. It is very common that many of us get tensed/ stressed before any exam but experiencing an intense fear and feeling that your thoughts are wandering, recalling past poor performances, difficulty in concentrating, comparisons with others, anger, helplessness, dry mouth, tight muscles, heavy sweating, dizziness, nausea, guilt, or no interest towards food etc. indicates that we are going through severe test anxiety. My article today focuses on how the students can manage such test anxieties better.
Studies conducted on this topic shows that managing anxiety efficiently can really improve the test performance. Individuals may experience test anxiety for various reasons like fear of failures, procrastinated study schedules, peer-group comparisons, and enforced expectations and so on so forth. Unknowingly these anxieties overshadow the thinking of doing well in students.
To avoid test anxieties, the foremost thing a student should do is to prepare his/her study calendars in advance keeping the assessment dates in consideration. Organize and attend some sample or practice test papers. This will not only prepare the student with different aspects of the subject but also boost the confidence to take up the actual test. Do not let the fear of test grip you, instead engage yourself in some self-care strategies like a good night sleep, nutrition, relaxation routines and exercises. Students who experience high level of anxiety can seek support from parents, teachers, and counselors too. Further, identify the career goal as per your innate personality and various career options in-sync with it. Having this will help to mitigate anxiety due to over expectations and don’t push you to run for the race you are actually not designed for.
Other-side, parents must motivate the child and provide them conducive environment to study. Probably they can spend some time with their child talking on matters apart from studies, but having a vigilant eye on what are the study activities the child is involved throughout the day. Avoiding negative and disturbing discussions like fewer marks in the previous exams, friend’s readiness for exams, family problems, using entertainment devices with loud volume, their expectations and the society etc. will complement positively.
After every one hour of rigorous study a break of 10 minutes can act as energy booster. It is suggested that during this break the child mustn’t be engaged in any other activity requiring mental attention. Instead a glass of fresh juice, small snacks, walking in the garden etc. will rejuvenate their intellectual senses. Indeed, 40% of the exam anxiety can be reduced by the parents. For any queries related to exam anxiety and career guidance, you can connect with me @ +91 9531856481.
