The notable reasons of stress for students are examinations. We have been witnessing the situations wherein students commit suicide just because of their regular assessment trauma. Apprehension for upcoming examinations and exam angst are things which are common among students of all age groups. Some students are adept at handling exam fear and exam stress in their own way. But unfortunately some fall prey to ill – effects of exam stress and might go to depression, perform badly in exams or even they do not hesitate to take extreme measures. Sometimes, the exam pressure may give students dreadful attacks. It has been found in the many cases that that the stress before exams is frequently worse than the actual exam and it can be made even worse if they have elder/older brothers/cousins or sisters who have already performed well and feel they have to match up to their standards. When exams approach students turn awfully worried and make diplomacies about how to revision, how to perform better and get good grades. Some students find exams so difficult that the phobia makes them gruesome as they modestly find themselves inept to cope up with the exam fear.

Reasons:
Anxiety – Sometimes, just before their examination, students get affected with exam anxiety. There are certain symptoms of anxiety like excess sweating, shaking of hands and legs have its effect on them. In such a situation, it becomes very much difficult for them to concentrate on their examination. Sometimes, the level of examination anxiety is so much that students left their examination hall before the completion of their examination. Pressurizing one – The actual thought of accomplishing excellence in the examination may cause examination phobia. Sometimes, negative thoughts like not performing well in the examination according to one’s expectation also results in putting too much pressure on oneself. Moreover, deleterious thoughts what kind of kind of questions one might come across, what if one is unable to finish one’s question paper in time etc. are also very much related with examination phobia.
Glut pressure from Parents: -This is well known to be a peripheral factor but it has it has its relevance with examination phobia. The sheer solicitation of pressure from the parent clutches to do well and to be in the top list proves to be an outlandish for the students. The mind of the student gyrates around needless thoughts like what if he/she does not do well. What his/her parents will do if he/she does not fair enough in the examination? These moods very often work unhelpfully and turn into a phobia and one major reason for performing below par at the examination.

Unrehearsed for the examination – Students are correspondingly found to be la-di-da with exam phobia because they remain unrehearsed for the examination. The very thought of underachieving in the examination results in a condition which results in examination phobia.

Success Mantras:
Love your Topics of the subjects: One must fall in love with all the topics and subjects prescribed for you from the beginning only!!!! There is no other way out to accomplish academic excellence. Students who start brush up their portion timely find that they can manage to rejoinder without any stress or exam pressure. The sooner students start the better. As practice makes a better understanding and recollection, students are often advised to revise early. It will avoid anxiety at the eleventh hour. Formulating well ahead of examination will assist students on difficult topics so that students reserve time for it also.
Edge your timetable:
As a student one must be well aware of the subjects that one needs to toil extra on. It’s not by the scores but by the size of material or depth of the contents that one need to know about. Never be influenced by the ideal time table of others. To fabricate for it, one need to create one’s appropriated timetable for all the days of the week. Kindly adhere yourself to a realistic chart that you abide by it.
Writing must be your constant companion:
Do not try to by heart everything. Read the material without expecting immediate success. Take considerable amount of time in reading the text book single mindedly. Close the material and write in your own sentences which boost your confidence level immensely to face the examinations. Students always tend to ponder that preparing notes is just to copy paste activity. But in reality it is not so. Prepare your notes for easy understanding. Never scribble it out and remember you are going to refer the same for your finals so make workable notes for your easy retrieval.

Target Each Day:
Do not spend more time in watching television … Kindly have a daily target like a sales man. Threat for your single minded study is Facebook and What Sapp and other social media. Be disinterred towards these distractions till the completion of your Examination. Time for Study, Revision and meditation ought to be scheduled for each day.
Earmark for breaks:
Preparing a timetable is not a tranquil chore. While preparing, one has to make make time for breaks in between. You  could wake  up for your bath or using washroom,  You have  to wash your clothes, you will have to keep your room neat and tidy , attending call from like –minded friends, etc. All these can be considered as break. Then include your dinner, lunch, breakfast as well. Kindly have a habit of listening to music which can bring back gusto while studying.
Select when to study: Whether would it be day or Night?
It is left discretion to the students. If you are able to concentrate in the morning healthier than at late night then assign hard subjects in the morning. If you are person who dears to study after evening hours then allocate the study time after that and keep easier subjects in the morning. But do not waste time in thinking about the completion and future consequences.
Never compare with your classmates and their facilities:
Kindly have a greater trust in you. Do not try to adopt some body’s preparing methods. You please improve upon your own method. Everyone has dissimilar ways to learning and understands the subject. So even revising a subject is different for each one of you. Never make comparison on the subjects you have done with your friend.
Make use of Pictures and Charts…and Adopt Storytelling Methods:
Students can get used the method of sketch flowchart to recall the many steps involved. They need to think where they can take notes representing flowcharts. Such flowcharts are fairly relaxed to remember while revising. It has been proved that mind can reminisce anything that is in the form of pictures or flowcharts. To remember points you can frame your own stories and link the points necessary to recapitulate.
Do not hesitate to ask for help:
When you sense you need help with any subject or any other thing do not hesitate to ask your teachers and parents for help. In case you feel you cannot schedule your study, ask your parents for guidance. If one of your parents is upright at planning and guiding you then you are sure to get help all the way till exam.
Gain Confidence through solving Old question Papers:
Studying the topics is always incomplete without countering previous year’s questions. Try to boost your confidence by soving previous years papers with the help of teachers and friends. It supports to discern where you stand and how much is your preparation. You are advised to answer those papers only after completing all the chapters. But do not try new methods of solving at the eleventh hour.
Manage balanced meal:
Never skip a meal or breakfast during exam time. There should neither be fast nor feast. Skipping doesn’t disentangle your problem. To be frank skipping is going to rob your brain of energetic nutrients. Henceforth, there must be a poise of proteins and carbohydrates and vegetables. Try to avoid any artificial, instant energizers. Avoid junk food at least during examinations.
Sleep well:
Have two days in a single day. After noon siesta or nap is necessary and advisable during study holidays to rest your eyes and brains. Never try to be nocturnal. Don’t study without taking rest and continuously. Kindly maintain 7 hours quality sleep. So that you can continue your study next day a fresh.
Meditate!
A study conducted at the University of Pennsylvania showed that even a few minutes of daily meditation can help improve focus and performance. You can beat the exam blues with a few minutes of meditation; it will also help you collect your thoughts better and gives clarity to your mind.Inspite of all the work, You can meditate in school, in your college campus, home, or even with friends at a park! In fact, meditating with friends helps in the camaraderie. If you still seem that you cannot overcome fear and anxiety, and then try out meditation in the early morning. Meditation would bring your mind to focus. It would also remove unwanted thoughts from your mind. Ask for some guidance on facts about it. Or you could just squat on the floor, close your eyes and keep your face facing upwards. Your palms should be open kept on lap facing upwards. Perform this for 10 to 15 minutes in a day early morning.

Practise and visualize positivity:
Whenever you are concocting for exams visualize that you will excel the exam. Do not allow the thought of fiasco to disintegrate your exam preparation. The sheer thought about failure or fear about it creates stress to overcome you.

Wishing you only the best for Your Examination.

Author is Assistant Professor and Mentor, Career Counselor for MBA students at Post Graduation Department of Management Studies and Research Center,
Siddaganga Institute of Technology Tumakuru. Karnataka, India- 572103

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