COVID-19 Impact: Here's how students can cope with the postponement of board and entrance exams

Left with an exam or two? Have fears in your mind as to when will the remaining examinations take place? This article aims to tell all the students how to make best use of this 'quarantine' time and prepare for the examinations.

Coronavirus is spreading like wildfire across the world right now! With the outbreak, almost everything has come to a halt including the shutting down of schools, institutes and examinations getting postponed, among other things. Students at this point must be feeling very low and anxious as the daily routine has changed and it is all haywire following the Prime Minister’s announcement of 21-day nationwide lockdown due to the spread of Coronavirus. Several examination schedules of boards including the national boards (CBSE, ICSE, NIOS), state boards (RBSE, HPBOSE, JKBOSE, CGBSE, etc), as well as the entrance exams, have been deferred. Schools and institutes have resorted to online classrooms while the admission cycles (OJEE, Jamia, etc) have been halted. Many entrance examinations including the JEE Mains, NEET, AIIMS PG, among others have also been postponed in the wake of the outbreak. UPSC has also postponed the IAS interviews until further notice.

In testing times like these, one must not forget that panic is not the key. Mulling over as to what will happen next is very normal. These are difficult times for everyone out there and it becomes difficult at times to overlook everything. But, one thing what every student needs to ensure at this point in life is that no matter what happens next in the country and around the globe, we all are in this together and together we will fight it!

Students must have many questions in their minds right now, for example, When will the remaining exams take place? Will a year be lost? When will the entrance exams happen?
Thinking about all this is very normal at this point. But, fret not. This article aims to address all your issues. Read on to know more.

We at Shiksha believe that this ‘quarantine’ time is an advantage for every student out there! This is the best time to work on your weaknesses and try to brush past them. Students must invest in themselves and make the best use of this time.

Here are some tips which might make you feel a little better and help you in gaining momentum for the weeks ahead:

No stress!

Students must not take any kind of stress as it may prove to be very bad for their health. Consider this time as an extended summer holiday. Spend time with your family, watch television with them, play board games, teach them how to play your new video game, learn a new language online, dance, sing. All in all do whatever makes you happy and de-stress yourself, as co-curricular activities also help in developing one’s personality. Do what you have been wanting to do all this while, but couldn’t because of the exam pressure. Grow a plant, nourish it and enjoy the process.

Spend time with books

As the good old saying goes, ‘Books are one’s best friends’. They teach you lessons, make you laugh, make you cry, they are with you if you are with them whole-heartedly. Spend time with your books which have been lying in the shelf all this while. They expand one’s views and perspective. Reading a range of genres helps in one’s development and eventually adds up to one’s mental growth. One can also dwell in general knowledge books.

Revise and re-revise

Make the best use of this time to revise your entire syllabus and work upon all the sections you might have missed while preparing earlier. Make the studies a little interesting this time by dividing enough time for topics and make it a challenge for yourself. You can also include your friends over a call for this challenge.

Time Management

Utilise this extended time period by solving as many question papers as practising would further strengthen your preparation. Make a daily routine of studying at least 4-5 hours and then one extra hour for solving papers. Develop a deep understanding of all the concepts in your syllabus as they will help you in the long-run. Time management is the key to being productive in such hard-hitting times.

Apart from what all we have mentioned above, students must also ensure that they do not step out of their homes and be socially conscious. It is only us who can fight against the virus. Social distancing is the key. We as individuals have our responsibilities towards our respective families as well as the nation. We must follow all the guidelines issued by the government and remember that we all are in this together! We wish all the students best of luck for their upcoming examinations! Prepare well.
Stay Home! Stay Safe! Wash your hands! Sanitise them!

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