Tips for a stress-free examination

DIMAPUR — In a student’s daily life, one is often faced with conflicting situations. Under demanding and stressful conditions, a lot of negative emotions like fear and anxiety develop in an individual to a considerable extent. Such negative emotions, if allowed to prevail for a long time, are likely to adversely affect the person’s psychological and physical health.

For most of us, an approaching examination brings about a feeling of fear and anxiety. In fact, any situation which involves performing a task and the awareness of being evaluated for the performance is an anxiety-provoking situation for most people. A certain level of anxiety is definitely essential as it motivates and pushes us to put up our best performance but a high level of anxiety becomes a problem in performance and achievement.

An examination is a potentially stress provoking situation and like any other stressful situations, measures are needed to control the situation. One of the effective ways is to monitor the situation and to take direct action by taking these few steps:

Prepare well: Give yourself ample time and prepare yourself in advance. Familiarize with the pattern of question papers and frequently asked questions. This gives you a sense of predictability, control and reduces the stress potential of the examination.

Have a rehearsal: Make yourself go through a mock examination. Ask your friend to test your knowledge. You can also rehearse mentally in your mind. Visualize taking the examination in a confident and relaxed manner.

Positive thinking: Have faith in yourself and emphasize on your strengths. Stay positive and enthusiastic.

Seek support: Do not hesitate to ask for help from your friends, parents, teachers or seniors.

Talking makes one feel light and helps gain insight.

Relaxation: Learn to relax. Learning relaxation techniques help you calm your nerves and give you an opportunity to reframe your thoughts.

Exercise: A brief period of light exercise or active sport will help you concentrate better on your studies.

Imtimongba Imchen,

Assistant Professor,

Department of Psychology,

Sazolie College, Kohima.