Frantic calls from students about to take board exams are flooding counselors and most of the calls pertain to advice on how to overcome the parental pressure, questions on grading system, question paper patterns, and fear of memory loss.

The stress levels of youth of today seem to be on an all-time high, which is evident from the fact that most calls were made at midnight.

From Timesofindia.indiatimes.com:

The incidents of students attempting to suicide, preferring isolation and a sudden change in behaviour has been reported in the past couple of weeks. Mahendru said that in the last lap of preparation when studies were in full throttle, poor marks in pre-boards worries students.

She receives 20-25 screened calls a day, including five hyper calls which require high level of attention and expertise to handle. Most of the students fail to follow a proper time table. They focus on main subjects, including maths and science.

In this month alone four suicides by school students have rocked the city. The increasing pressure from the parents and the society has been continuously taking a toll on students. Over 1.25 lakhs students in 80 CBSE schools in the city are appearing in boards exams.

It is important for parents to realize that their kind support and patience can help their children get better examination scores and the incidents of suicides by students reduce to a significant extent.

Before we start the journey of this blog, it is important to realize that examinations are not end of the world. While we may fail in competitive exams, we can easily sail apast in examinations of life. So, there is nothing to worry about exam results though it is always better to score well in all exams, including competitive ones.

If you think that exam phobia does not allow you to give your best, you need to analyze why you feel so. If this is because of expectations of your parents or teachers, make them understand that you are a human being and cannot be expected to perform like a workhorse at all times. Rather than struggling and still saying nothing while selecting your subjects, take some time out to find details about all the available options and talk to some one who knows about it before selecting one. In the meanwhile, start meditation and exercises for about thirty minutes a day.

Furthermore, stay away from people who have a negative influence and annoy you with their habit of nagging. Learn to stay happy and make others happy but not at the cost of your happiness; be genuine in your demands. Do not be hesitant to seek notes or ask questions from your friends and teachers, respectively. Make a habit of speaking less but speaking those words that are really needed and necessary.

Study throughout the year and on the day of examination, focus on what you have learnt during the year rather than caring about how you will be going to fare. Do not get engaged in study conversations just before the commencement of exam as that may make you feel nervous.

Observe these small things and your exam phobia will die a sudden death very soon.

In this blog, we will be reading about possible ways to help students who may have sharp minds but may fail to convert thoughts to words just when it matter the most, during examinations.

First of all, it is essential to realize that exams are not end of the world. Therefore, there is no use and need to create so much hype around them. There have been many greats such as Bill Gates and Walt Disney, who did not fare that well in exams but still managed to surprise the world with their beliefs and actions.

Secondly, three groups (parents, teachers, and society) need to realize that the young minds of students are very delicate and too much of pressure or unrealistic expectations on them can break them to many pieces. Therefore, it is very essential to realize that expectations may not be wrong but over-expectations and expectations on the cost of a student’s life or against his/her wishes are not right and must not be encouraged.

Thirdly, students need to realize that year-long studies are required for good scores during competitive exams. Moreover, there is no use of studying if you are putting too much burden on your body by waking for long hours.

Adequate sleep and a healthy diet are important for performance, and educational performance is no exception. It is always advisable to attend the study classes and make short notes about important topics or subject matters. In addition to that, there is no use of hampering your own studies at the cost of helping some one else. Remember, you are spoiling your own life and nurturing some one’s life. How stupid is that?

Do not waste your time before exams by visiting your friends’ homes. Try to be prepared with everything beforehand and do not make short-term plans. Restrict your phone calls to the minimum and try to keep friends away from your mind for a while. This may sound absurd but that’s the only way to concentrate. On the other hand, you always have the liberty to spend quality time with your friends after you have finished your study assignments.

In short, be truthful to yourself and do not play with your life and future. Failure may come but that does not mean that you need to be disappointed for the rest of your life. After all, exams are not end of the world.

Children of today are often tangled between their choice of subject and decision of their parents. In a recently concluded survey, it was revealed that as much as 76 percent of today’s youth that it was their parents and not them who took decision of subject in higher educational plans. This clearly suggest that even in today’s so-called free and youth-oriented society, youth have a little say when it comes to receiving education.

The statistics further revealed that the worst sufferers were children from Asia-Pacific and a huge majority of parents in this demographic region expect and ‘forced’ their wards to take Science as a subject despite their children desiring to opt for streams such as Commerce and Arts. Decisions of parents like this in today’s civilized society clearly suggests that there is still a lot to be done before one can say that the world is free from Fuehrers and Czars.

Parents need to learn that they cannot play with a life and when it comes to their own children, things like life-influencing decisions can just not be influenced to such an extent. While parent’s advice is all that necessary, yet the final authority of decision-making for taking higher education’s stream should be best left to teachers and school/college if not with the children. This is because it is the teachers and the school/college authorities who know all about a student, his liking, areas of interests, and every relevant fact, which helps in making a right, thoughtful, and informed decision for the students.

If the future of our future citizens can be left in hands of the best, the burdens of ‘unrealistic expectations’, suicide tendencies after failure in exams, and job frustrations at a later stage can be eliminated at the first place itself. After all, there is always a need of a right man at the right time and at the right place and this can be met only by putting the right student in the right stream as per his or her abilities rather than as a matter of parents’ choices.

If examinations were end of the world then many greats such as Walt Disney and Bill Gates would not made it so big. The fact they persisted with what they were good at rather than succumbing to expectations of others was what made them successful and popular. If you are thinking that bad marks in exams will end all your future hopes, you need to think twice.

Give your best in examinations. Study hard for the entire year and just during the last week before examinations. Try to make notes of all important things so that you do not need to read the complete books but only the notes. Seek advice of your teachers whenever you are in second thought about your studies. Never be shy of asking a question as the more questions you will ask, the more will you be aware of. When you are studying, only study.

Small things for you to remember:

Do not allow your mind and body to get distracted by other things. If possible, meditate for a while in the morning. Never compromise on a good sleep of 7-8 hours. In addition to that, do not put yourself in fear by asking your friends to ask questions from you just before the exams. When the exam paper is in front of you, read it whole before attempting any question, try to understand what the question is all about and what the examiner wants you to write as answer.

Exams may provide one with a route to success but they cannot guarantee success. It is best if you can crack exams with good marks and do what your heart and mind says but even if that is not the case, do not just feel disappointed as the world ahead of you might have something really special for you. If you are facing some problems in understanding something, talk to your friends, parents, and teachers but do not keep quiet.

With these simple tips, you can fare well in your examinations. Even if you do not, don’t lose heart because the world ahead of you might want you that way.