Fear of Exams in Students

Publised : August 1st, 2021

The anxiety which gets stimulated a few weeks or months before an important exam can differ in intensity from person to person. The fear of attempting an exam can give rise to various thoughts in the student, the fear of failing, fear of scoring less than expected, forgetting answers in the examination hall or scoring less than the peers. The reasons which contribute to such thoughts may be due to many reasons, which include previously failing in a subject or two, always scoring less marks in a particular subject, constant pressure from family/elders of scoring good marks and so on.

If the student is attempting an exam for the first time like their 10th Board Exam or any entrance exam, they are mentally attacked by people who have already attempted those exams. A person who didn't score well in their SSC Exams may scare a person who is preparing for the same exam by telling them how hard it is for everyone out there. Here, the self-confidence of the student gets hindered. 

Students receive a lot of discouragement before specific exams which severely attacks their confidence and learning skills. The fear could be at such a great level that in spite of being a good student, they might not be able to study. That constant anxiety may lead to antisocial behaviour, insomnia, loss of appetite or even over-studying. If the student does not get any help to cope up with their fear, their physical health might get disturbed too. Family members and teachers play an important role in shaping a student's mind and thus, they are the ones who can take effective steps to reduce the student's pre-examination stress.

Firstly, the parents should make sure that their child is eating well while he/she is preparing for the exams. They should be encouraging and not exert too much pressure on the child. The student should also get enough sleep. He/She must engage in other activities like sports, drawing, singing, etc. or whatever their hobby is to relieve the stress. These things if put into action will help the child focus better on their studies.      

Last minute revisions and discussing the answers with friends before and after the exam is another way in which the student's anxiety reaches its peak. While writing the paper, if they cannot recall the answer, breathing in and out can help relax the mind due to which the answer will pop up in the mind soon after.

Another place where students go wrong is after leaving the examination hall, they go through their question paper and check what answers they have written wrong or right. A deep feeling of guilt arises in them after they get to know what they have written wrong which boosts their fear of results even before the examinations are over. Students should be advised to stop doing so and immediately start focusing on the next paper.

If these few minor steps are adopted by parents, teachers and the students, they might be able to fight their biggest FOE (Fear Of Exams) !