Academic Examination’s Stress An Opportunity of Life

Academic Examination’s Stress

An Opportunity of Life

(For Parents, Teachers and Students)

While in office, a colleague told that the boss had gone to hospital for some hypertension problem and subsequently he was on medical leave for ten days in hospital. When I went to him to say “get well soon”, he told that his son who had appeared in X+2 of CBSE, filled only one form for entrance to Engineering, and he thought that the boy would lose one year if he did not come in merit in that exam, while the boy was alright taking care of his father. When the result of the competition came, the boy was at a high merit opted for computer hardware. After his engineering degree, he spent a few years abroad, now a Professor in Alma Mater (real incident but a positive one).

The moral of the story is that examination stress is caused by parents to children and vice versa. Parents, teachers and students are in fact the three pillars of stress and management of academic stress.

There are many reasons. Parents know their child from the day he is born, his habits, character, capabilities, attitude, nature, physical fitness, value systems and of course the genes. While knowing so much they should be able to assess him in more realistic manner. But the stress is caused by the fact that we want best of things for him and consider he can do anything which we desire or have failed to achieve in our life; when this does not happen it causes stress to both. More realistic the parents are, lesser is the stress. It is wisdom of the parents is, to bring out the genius in their child in the field in which he is, not in the field they desire, if they succeed, way to success is clear otherwise stress & strain all round.  

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life believing that it is stupid.”                 – Albert Einstein

Failure is not end of the road,

It is cross road, gives you three more chances, to correct your steps, you are lucky having failed.           

                                                                 Anonymous

Parenting is a complex issue. We should develop the child that he is not afraid of discussing anything with his parents. No specific guidelines for this. But at least one meal a day preferably dinner, should the family take together, everybody has whole of the day events to tell. Taking meal separately is just filling the belly, it is not meal which should have taste and love in every bite.

Talk to any parents in India whose children are studying in LKG, UKG, and primary classes; almost everybody would say that their child secured first position in the class and everybody knows that in a class only one can be a the top. A child is made to feel that he has to at the top; when this does not happen later, he is under stress.

Parents must assess the capabilities and interest of the child in the most honest and realistic manner. Now a days, many parents take help of professionals also to find out this aspect of the child’s personality. There is no harm to do so it plays the part of additional assessment that can help the parents. No parent should make a child perfectionist that creates more stress than the advantage accruing. Make the child face to face with the reality. Parents must teach the child to play the game well and not to bother for the goals. Every small thing whether academic or otherwise must be done by the child meticulously. Parents must help the student to keep a positive outlook and attitude. Marks and studies though important but are not the only aspect of our existence. Teach your child to do things in time. He would always be first in the row not the last in the queue.

“Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same amount of hours per day that were given to… Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo Di Vinci… and Albert Einstein.”

                                      – H. Jackson Brown Jr.

Admission to graduate courses in local University is based on total marks in X+2, open to all nationals so the cut of merits marks are up to 97-99 %. The greatest cause of stress to the parents and students. Seats are always insufficient as well the professional and technical course. So student concentrate on marks and not on the preparation, a negative and reverse pattern which increases the intensity of the stress.

Some students are afraid of a particular subject rather they have phobia that causes stress; compulsory the paper, more is the stress. Best remedy is to leave the subject. But to a stage it is not possible, here comes the role of the teacher in play, he has to make it more interesting, answer every question asked by the students irrespective whether easy, difficult or the absurd and build up confidence of the student. If it so happens many improve their performance and are free of stress.

Teachers must be highly educated, devoted and dedicated to their profession. He should be ready to go extra mile, should talk to the inner self of a child make the child to realize his potential, be positive in his approach and remarks, he has to be a psychologist, that would help a child to perform better and reach his dream.

Student has to play his part. Our teaching system must make the student proficient in every lesson they teach right from the day one and categorization of the students for the stream of their liking and competence must start from the very beginning.  It is not that easy, as said but the responsibilities lies on the shoulders of parents, teachers and students. This would boost the confidence level of the student and he need not cram everything at the last moment and create stress for him. We should develop the attitude of the student for the best not for the perfect, whatever stage he reaches there is always a scope for improvement.

Student should keep the routine intact that is enough sleep, diet, relaxation and play are also important otherwise it gives the child black outs, nearer the exams, as if he has not prepared well.

No result can be achieved without labour and sacrifice; so whatever is achieved that is one’s reward. Do not insult your labour and hard work accept the reward. Everybody can’t be IAS and if you get a Central Service that is good enough. Satisfaction from whatever you do is important, there is always a scope to excel in every field, it is passion that has the magic not the stress, it depends on how we see the things.

Concentration in class and while studying at home is rock foundation for stress free exams.  While in class concentration is result of the efforts put in by the teacher and the student. A teacher should always come well prepared; answer questions odd and irrelevant with eye-contact. Discipline and decorum contribute to the quality of concentration and content.

While at home find a suitable environment, create a startup ritual, block distractions, divide the time, study for about 25 minutes take 4-5 minute break after 3-4 such session take a 20 minute break and break lessons in manageable time slots. Always concentrate on skills not on grades. Grades would automatically follow skills.

Physical regular exercise is another trick that benefits not only your body, but also your brain. It improves, in the short-term your focus up to two to three hours by increasing blood flow to the brain. Regular exercise improves mood and sleep, while reducing stress and anxiety. My experience in life is it is better to study in the early morning hours than late at night- even scriptures say morning time is meditation time-time of concentration.

Write what you have learnt – an old technique –it gives you words, expression, control and a start which you so badly need in the examination hall as how to start a narrative answer.

When you write down your ideas you automatically focus your full attention on them. Few if any of us can write one thought and think another at the same time. Thus a pencil and paper make excellent concentration tools.

                                        -Michael Leboeuf

Never think you can do the best first time, certainly not, otherwise the dictum that there is always scope for improvement would prove wrong so practice – that makes a man perfect. More you practice more the intricacies would clear up themselves.

Conscious and sub-conscious mind are two great friends of a human being. If something is lying stored in the sub-conscious mind and conscious mind is in need of it, former is too quick to come to the help of the latter. So whatever one has learnt during the day should be revised mentally without books and without any other help just before sleeping as it goes straight to sub-conscious mind. It is of immense value to improve your performance in examination and with lesser stress.

Intuition that when God, your soul, your inner, the Lord speaks to you or send you a message, listen carefully, do not ignore, it takes a few minutes only. What is the relevance here? My experience in life is that sometimes your conscious tell a lesson or a question that is likely to appear in the question paper and it does. If you have read there are no regrets otherwise stress with ifs and buts.

Anxiety before exam is natural, may cause acidity also. Indian grand-mothers formulae are very useful. Normally that is done as a good omen. But what is that. It is simple curd and shukker (unrefined sugar) mixture, a   good antacid, a cooling agent, full of energy and all nutrients: that will help to concentrate during exam.

Reading and revising up to the last minute creates confusion and minor mental blackouts as if one has not prepared at all which is factually incorrect. One should keep his balance and have confidence on his mental faculties: stop reading sufficiently before exam you have prepared well that should be the feeling.

We don’t grow when something is easy. We grow when something is challenging. While amidst exam tough paper is always good it brings out the best a child has. Read the questions two-three times you know many answers or part thereof and start writing; at the end you have done what you wanted to achieve.

Keep your mind at peace, positive and focused on broader goal that improves concentration.

  

For he who has no tranquility there is no concentration.

                                                  -Bhagavad Gita

Give whatever you are doing and whomever you are with the gift of your attention.

                                                  -Jim Rohn

Stress is the essence of life, without stress one cannot achieve anything. But how much quantum of stress. It is difficult to quantify. But one example would give you a fair idea of how much stress. There is always a friction present between the surface of the floor and sole of the shoe that is why we are able to walk. If this friction is increased by broken floor and uneven shoe sole one would find it difficult to walk. Similarly if friction is reduced by polishing the surface of the floor and sole of the shoe there are chances that one may slip. One should have stress as much as friction necessary to walk on the floor.  Stress provides us a forward moving force and is welcome. One has to take care of preparation. Such a stress is called Eustress – the positive stress and a person has the capacity to convert any stress into Eustress instead of distress.

No system for assessment of individuals abilities is perfect; so is with examinations. Nobody can analyze the X factors ingrained in a person and there is time when a man blooms to his fullest; so appear in exams with as much preparation as one can manage and accept the result that is one aspect of life and there hundreds others that are still to be  fruitful. Nobody is good at everything, but everybody is good at something, find that something and focus on your strengths. Anything that is unexpected in one’s personality is X factor. Don’t copy others, find out X factor of your own personality you would be in advantageous position. However till a fuller system is developed we have to live with examinations so prepare well.

We can keep the academic examination stress under reasonable limits provided the parents, teachers and students play their part well.

"You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it."

                                         —Maya Angelou

Don’t stress. Do the best. Forget the rest.