Board exam stress management tips for students and parents

Board exams are considered milestones in the academic journey of a student. Therefore, these exams are one of the biggest challenges they face, causing a lot of stress, anxiety and apprehension in both students and parents. A little stress has a positive impact as it acts as a motivation to work harder. However, most of the time, students end up going through too much stress. But it is the responsibility of the parents to keep things under control during exam preparation and communicate with their children regularly.

It has been observed that stress before and during exams has an adverse impact on the performance of students. This puts one question in everyone’s minds – how can students and parents cope with exam stress? 

Tips for students

Hard work and smart work certainly help students come out with flying colours in board exams. Here are a few tips to help you sail through board exams.

1. Avoid comparison and stay composed: Each student has their own capabilities, strengths and weaknesses. You should not compare yourself with others. Instead, you should try to optimise your efforts and avoid getting distracted by the expectations of family and friends. Stay focused to increase productivity and maintain a healthy attitude.

2. Give priority to health: Being healthy is as important as completing the syllabus before the exam. Good health is synonymous with getting adequate sleep, engaging in physical activities and maintaining calm. You should have nutritious meals so that you can concentrate better on studies. Do not increase caffeine intake as it can cause anxiety levels to rise.

3. Plan, focus and prioritise: Efficient time management is essential to carry through your plan for exam preparation. Make a well-structured timetable and follow it. Sticking to your study plan ensures that half the task is done. Make a revision plan to avoid last-minute revisions and better concept retention. 

4. Set achievable milestones: Setting practical goals helps in maintaining momentum. Therefore, by setting daily and weekly study goals, you can focus better on subjects that you find difficult and devote more time to practising questions. Previous years’ exam papers and mock tests should be attempted in a real exam-like environment to acquaint yourselves with the exam pattern.

5. Don’t isolate yourself: Don’t stop talking to your friends, parents or siblings because of exam fear and stress. Discuss your issues and doubts, and seek their help to understand difficult concepts.

Tips for parents

Parents should guide their children to overcome exam stress. Here are a few tips to help your child during exam preparation.

1. Have realistic expectations: Parents’ expectations should be in line with their child’s capabilities. Avoid pressuring your child and comparing them with their siblings and peers. Parents should give their children the freedom to decide their targets and should not push them to overachieve. Let them develop an approach based on their abilities and potential. 

2. Create a positive environment and instil confidence: Parents should provide their child with a comfortable study environment that is well-ventilated and illuminated. You should encourage your child to overcome negative thoughts. You should frequently interact with them to keep away from overstressing. This, in turn, will enhance the child’s potential and help them achieve the desired result.

3. Act as a study partner: It works wonders when parents actively participate in exam preparation with their children. When parents take up the role of their child’s study partner, it helps them overcome exam fear and builds confidence in them. 

4. Let them relax and rejuvenate: Children must be encouraged to participate in extracurricular activities and pursue their hobbies even during exams. It helps them relax and improves their grasping power and concentration levels.

Stress management during exams is essential to come out with flying colours. While it is good to encourage children to study and perform well in exams, parents should follow a balanced strategy to keep their stress level low. Children, on the other hand, should avoid distractions and focus on their goals.