Exam Phobia: Time to get rid of it!

Every one of us, at one time or another has faced the exam anxiety in our life, and a lot of students are facing it currently. It’s evident from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) statics that how exam failure is taking away precious life of students each year.

National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) Statics:

Every hour one student commits suicide in India, with about 28 such suicides reported every day, according to data compiled by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). The NCRB data shows that 10,159 students died by suicide in 2018, an increase from 9,905 in 2017, and 9,478 in 2016.

Maharashtra had the highest number of student suicides in 2018 with 1,448 — almost 4 suicides every day — followed by Tamil Nadu with 953 and Madhya Pradesh with 862.

So now it’s mandatory to realize by youth of our nation that education is the key to open the locks of success for happiness, not the door to enter in well of sorrow or to end life.

Reasons behind exam fear

According to psychologists’ findings, teens suffer from anxiety mainly due to following reasons-

1.    The consequences associated with the outcome of the exam e.g. educational or occupational.

2.    Their self-esteem with regards to the outcomes of their grades. (Students who have higher grades are more likely to have higher self-esteem.)

3.    Family and friends judging their performance.

4.    Fear of disappointing their teachers.

Remedy for examinophobia

If you regularly becomes excessive nervous or stressed before or during an exam, you may have examinophobia or exam fever. It is a very common phenomenon among students especially when an important examination is at their door step. It is extremely disastrous as it affects them psychologically, socially, emotionally and cognitively.
But chill! As you are not the only one who is suffering from this. In fact, even Albert Einstein suffered from exam fever, and Winston Churchill only managed to write his name when he was appearing for an entrance exam.

Ø     Science behind exam fear: Stress is a natural response that evolved to protect us from danger. Whenever we face any kind of stressor, a hormone is released in our body which causes few physiological changes; our heart pumps faster to supply our muscles with more oxygen; our blood pressure increases and we begin to sweat, preventing us from over-heating due to the body’s increased metabolic rate.

When we are under excessive stress or experiencing exam anxiety, our body releases a stress hormone called cortisol. As part of our evolutionary response, it helps us adapt in ‘fight or flight’ situations. Studies have shown that cortisol impairs the speed of our memory recall, causing that mind blank before or during an exam.

 

Ø Role of healthy nutritional diet: A healthy nutritional diet, regular meals and plenty of water can also help keep your cortisol hormone at a natural level and help you to concentrate during revision and on the day of the exam.

Ø Physical Health: Physical exercises like jogging, morning walk etc. keeps body healthy and help to divert your mind form exam stress for that particular time, which eventually lead to higher concentration during study time. Workout also helps to maintain balance hormone and electrolytes level in body owing to proper metabolism.

Ø     Mental Health: Try meditation each morning just for 10min especially during exam time. It increases concentration of mind that eventually will lead to increase in student learning efficiency. Meditation will bring calmness and composure to mind. Doing it daily can do wonders! Extract out some time for exercising your hobbies.

Ø     Think Positive:

Ø     Treat examinations as an opportunity not as a burden, there are a lot of children who has dream to study, to get education; but they are unable to do so due to financial crisis. Even there are a lot of girls in villages who want to study in colleges but they are helpless as their parent don’t allow them to go out in cities for education. God has his blessing with you that’s why you are getting chance to study or to appear in exams.

 

Ø Exam results are not the result of life, these are merely outcome of your 1year academic performance. It’s ok! If you get less score this time, work hard next time.

 

Ø Life will take your exams at each step, not just in academics but also in various other situations to check your patience, knowledge and presence of mind to come out of that problem. So calm down these are just paper & pen exams.

“Do your best and leave rest.”

·      Study plan: A systematic study plan will definitely protect you from hectic examination pressure.

Ø Prepare time table that must include exercise, meditation, games and healthy diet hours in it along with study hours.

Ø Don’t leave anything for the day before exam.

Ø Prepare graphs, flow charts and diagrams of important topics as our mind captures images better than theoretical lines and it will take less time to revise through pictures

Ø Do revision a day before exam.

Ø Sleep well at least 8hours on night before exam. Avoid night study on that day.

Ø Most importantly, organize small breaks during study. Regular study can be monotonous and it will break your interest. There are more chances of forgetting things that you have learned without interest.

 

Wish you best of luck for your upcoming exams!

  

Author: Ms. Kajal (Department of pharmaceutical Science)