Exam mantra "All is well"

The word "exam" has emotions and feelings attached to it. Some people are excited, while others are fearful and panicked, have anxiety, lack confidence, and so on. As a student, we all must have heard many suggestions from our seniors, teachers, and family members on how to deal with exam anxiety. In this article, we will share a few tips and also have a personalised session depending on your study habits. 

1. Create a schedule: If your exam is approaching and you have a lot of stuff to revise, the first step is to write down a timetable and assign timelines to each and every subject that you have to revise.

2. Lakshya: Create a goal. Hard work without a goal is a waste of energy. You must be aware of what you are going to achieve so that you know where to put your efforts.

3. Strengths and weaknesses: know which are your strong subjects and which are your weak subjects, and give extra time and effort to the weak ones.

4. Physical activity and breathing exercise: even if you are able to sit for hours at one place to study, take a break after 1 hour. Just a simple walk, some stretching, and some pranayama (yoga breathing exercises) help a lot to manage the anxiety you feel while studying and writing a paper.

5. No audio-visual disturbance: It is scientifically proven that using a mobile phone for a long time or watching a screen for a long time affects the brain. So, before you start your studies, keep the phone away and do not use it until 30 minutes after you finish your studies.

6. Reading out loud and using colours: You can have different study habits, but most of the time reciting the answer loudly or even putting formulas in a colourful font in front of your study table helps a lot.

7. Do not compare: To know how much your friends have studied, you keep asking them, but it indirectly creates pressure and might affect you negatively.

8. Solve mock papers to increase your time management skills. Solving mock exams before exams helps a lot; you get to know where your time is going and what silly mistakes you are making.

9. Talk to your family and friends anytime you feel pressured or have a negative feeling. Do tell that to your parents, and if they are not able to help, seek professional help from a therapist.

10. Be calm; marks don’t define your characteristics, nor do they guarantee your best career prospects. The most important thing is how much confidence you have in your strengths and your goal-oriented, positive attitude. So, gain more control over your anxiety by following the above-mentioned tips, and there are more things that we can discuss one-on-one.

Teja Shivasharan