How to beat board exam stress

By Ashutosh Modi

Board exams get students jittery about how to tackle them. As these exams inch nearer, students start developing exam-fright, due to the inner urge to perform well and keep up with their parents’ expectations. Developing stress and anxiety is a common phenomenon that occurs with the approaching board exams.

Here are 10 tips on how to deal with stress and keep your cool before the exams. These tips will act as confidence-boosters for your board exams. There is no substitute to hard work, but if the same hard work is done keeping in mind the aforementioned tips, it will keep the stress at bay and give a healthy boost to your exam preparation.

1. Exercising in the wee hours of morning can help you relax and rejuvenate. Take out at least 30 minutes of ‘me-time’, daily in the morning to feel connected to nature and with your own self.
2. Time yourself according to the syllabus and the schedule of the exam, such that you have some spare time at the end of the day for other activities.
3. Do not pressurise yourself into studying if your mind and body doesn’t allow. Study at a proper pace without being in a rush.
4. Do not over-think about the exam. This will only lead to more tension creeping in.
5. Get sound sleep daily at night. The idea of studying over-night is not wrong, but it’s always better to study in daytime and reserve the night for some fitful sleep.
6. Do not get into the habit of bingeing on unhealthy snacks while studying. A salubrious diet will keep your body as well as mind healthy. This will give you ample amount of energy to stay active all the time.
7. Feel good about yourself and be positive about your exam. When you feel stressed out while studying, do some slow breathing or meditation for 10 minutes. It will help you relax and calm your mind.
8. Studying at a stretch even when you are tired is futile. Take short breaks in between to regain the energy lost while studying.
9. Studies can be fun if you have a partner to discuss with. Call up your friend to study with you. This will make studies engaging and keep you away from boredom.
10. Do not learn by the rote method. Instead, understand the concepts and make summaries. This will shorten your study time and help you complete your syllabus faster.

Also, take a look at how to balance your preparation for board exams and JEE Main 2015.

 About the author:

Ashutosh Modi is the Executive Director of EntrancePrime.com-JIVEM Education.