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Education Plus
Exorcising the exam ghost
DEEPA KURUP
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Plan and practise in advance, perform well and take it easy is the message from experts
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It may seem a tad dramatic when a 17-something-year-old tells you with a straight face that a couple of months can “make or break” his life. However, the fact of the matter is that in this highly competitive world of professional education and professionalisation of almost every stream of education, the months following the Class 12 examination are very important to these students.
Though children are always randomly quizzed about their dreams and ambitions by random visitors and parents alike, the 10th Standard board exam season heralds a brand new era in decisions and choices. A 12th Standard student who doesn’t know what he’s doing and doesn’t have a plan at hand is a diminishing tribe and students themselves (not to mention the support from anxious parents) feel the need to be ready and in control of their careers.
So, the exam season — which used to once end with the famous all-important “Board” examination — has only begun for most students, with most of them applying for a minimum of three competitive examinations or more in case of the diversified few.
Soon after the Pre-University Certificate or CBSE, ISC examinations, the student gets ready to sit for multiple examinations ranging from central ones such as AIEEE to the more local ones. The medical scene is no better. Added to the phenomenon of clashing examination dates, some students write as many as eight tests over the month, leading to periods of prolonged stress and constant anxiety.
So, what toll does this month take on the student? If all goes well and the story ends in a fairy-tale admission process in a “prestigious” college, then does it feel like it was worth the effort? Psychologists admit that stress is a given in life today where evaluations and tests is a continuous process, but what most experts disagree with is the month-long duration of these exams and the “linking of performance with one’s self image.” The Hindu EducationPlus spoke to students, academics as well as psychologists to see what the stress levels are like and what adverse effect they may have on the students.
Let’s keep aside the more drastic and scary stories such as that of the Pre-University student in Bangalore who hanged himself to death because he felt that he did not perform well in his mathematics examination. Parents and even students brush them aside as stray cases and would not like to think that such incidents can happen to them.
Stress factor
“The stress is high no doubt,” says Madhav Reddy, who took a year off to study for all the professional entrances. Given that he had a year to prepare, he says he finds it a lot easier and has his strategies in place for each exam.
Very difficult
“But students who are writing their boards in the same year may not have that luxury. I do not think the stress is enough to drive you to suicide but it is very difficult on the student, and parents are often over-anxious which makes the student more worried about his performance than the preparation itself,” he explains.
“There is no real option for these students. They have to perform, which is why coaching classes have become so important. They equip them with preparatory skills which helps dissolve the stress,” says Archit Lal, whose daughter Anandhitha will be writing the IIT-JEE this year.
“Of course, it is stressful on us also since parents like me internalise children’s lives and careers,” he adds, as he mentions that his wife has taken leave for a couple of weeks to make sure that Anandhitha does not waste her time during this crucial period.
“Everybody talks about students’ stress but I want to emphasise on stress in parents. The reason I bring this up is that this translates directly into anxiety in their wards,” says counsellor Lata Jacob, who works with Sahai, the State-wide suicide prevention helpline. She says that May is the peak month and that they have employed additional staff to attend to calls from anxious students.
Surveys say that Karnataka has the highest number of student suicides, but more than the act itself we are also conscious of the conditions that lead to this.
“We provide them emotional support. And we also believe in counselling the parents so they are aware of options. A child’s resilience to cope needs to come from home itself,” she explains.
Ms. Jacob feels that these competitive exams take such a big toll on students that several of them come out of the period severely damaged in terms of sleep, nutrition and even energy levels. For the first time, Sahai will conduct an emotional wellness camp on April 20 to counsel students. “Some of them can’t sleep, some lose appetite and others have been so overworked that they are unable to relax. It is unfortunate but it is also important to deal with this issue.”
Sometimes, students are unable to prioritise and want to write everything. For instance: Megha U., who says that she likes medicine but doesn’t know if she will make it. So, besides writing all the medical entrance tests, she will also sit for the State entrance test and the AIEEE.
Though the syllabi for most exams is the same, the pattern changes, which only adds to anxiety levels. Counsellors advice students to prioritise in advance, based on long-term preferences like the place they wish to study, proximity to home, branch of interest etc. They also feel that having a second option will also bring in a level of composure and will help students look at the examinations with greater objectivity.
The easy method
Vallish Herur, head of projects, BASE Technologies, a coaching institute, says that stress can be easily tackled and subdued with preparation and practice. Having seen several students cope with stress, he says that once students finish their board exams, they should spend the rest of the time consolidating what they have learnt.
Krishna Iyer, a Physics teacher, who teaches students to face IIT-JEE, says that the requirements of IIT are very different in nature. Without question banks and a predictable pattern, the IIT-JEE is a tough nut to crack when compared to its local counterparts. So, what tips do these academics offer to students who will be grappling with more than three entrance exams over a period of two or three weeks? Experts give a list of pointers and tips for students to cope with stress and channelise the remaining time to do their best. All the experts were unanimous with this one: Do not try to learn anything new. Practice makes perfect, and that applies to students in particular.
“It is very important to work on your strategies at this point. To identify your strong and weak points is as important as studying for the exam,” says Mr. Herur. With examination papers coming in multiple versions, often questions are in random order. So, if a student attempts to go in chronological order, it is more likely than not that he will fail to make it to the top.
“Coaching classes and experienced teachers can train students to identify the easy, moderate and difficult questions. It is important to make that distinction and then go on to proceed in that order,” he says, as he spells a word of caution to those who employ guesswork in exams which have negative marking.
“Each student has his/her own pace and style. So, it is important to make sure you have a list of topics you know at your fingertips. Focus on them first and then proceed to the rest,” says Prof. Iyer.
Exam stress is no new phenomena. The number of exams is going up but the solution is as old as the hills: Practice.
So, practise as many papers as you can, evaluate your time and speed and list your strong points…and the rest will be history!
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