Exam Stress:Keep it under control(Useful Tips)
Tuesday, 24 February 2009
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The slOka( declared in brahmAnda purAnam and varAha purAnam ) written in Telugu language that you see in the header of this page transliterated to English is:
which means...
"In this Universe there is no sacred place equivalent to Venkatadri(i.e.,There is no place in the whole Universe which is more auspicious than the hill Venkatachala). There is no God equivalent to Lord Venkateswara neither in the past nor in the future going to be(i.e.,There is no Archa murti (worshippable form) in all the three times (present,past and future) whose glories are comparable to the Lord of Venkatachala)"
Ian Chamber, the CIE Region Manager South Asia for University of Cambridge International Examinations, offers some practical advice for students who go through the exam stress.
Exam stress is a perfectly natural response to what is very important event, but you must keep thing in perspective. Over-anxiety is unproductive, it makes for bad revision and bad exam performance. So how can you keep stress under control?
Good stress and bad stress
According to Ian, stress is not always a bad thing. It can keep you sharp, encourage you to study, and can help banish complacency. Don't try to control stress completely, but channel the energy it gives you into positive revision and good preparation. Recognize when you are feeling over-stressed and then step back.Learn to slow down
Ian advices students to close their eyes for few moments while breathing slowly and deeply, when stress levels rise. Wait for your thoughts to calm, and then take stock of the situation and carry on. A few moments are often all it takes to get back our perspective. Examiners often say, when commenting on student performance, that students will often answer the question they want to see, not the question on the exam paper. This is often caused by stress-of rushing to read the paper, grabbing at questions, and not slowing down enough to read things properly.
Take control
The feeling that things are going out of control often causes stress so you need to reverse this. If you are really struggling when revising certain subjects then get extra help, as early as possible. In the exam, if you don’t understand a particular question, or can’t remember the answer, simply move on and come back to that question later, when you might find that your under-standing has improved.
Set realistic goals
Don’t raise your stress levels further by setting yourself unrealistic targets, especially when you revise. Get to know your abilities, and your limitations, and aim to do the best you can. If you know that you revise best in short bursts, then don’t set yourself hours of continuous study every night.
A healthy diet
Diet can affect mood and energy levels, but it can affect stress levels as well. Many students consider caffeine- whether from tea, coffee, cola or even chocolate-essential to their revision routine. But too much can make you jumpy and nervous, and hamper concentration, exactly the opposite of what you want. Instead use sleep, exercise and fresh air to stimulate a tired brain.
All work and no play
Keep stress at bay, and keep things in perspective, by giving yourself some time t let of steam. Make sure you have at least one free evening a week, and use the time to do something completely different –play sport, visit the cinema, go out with friends. Your brain needs time to deal with all the information it has been processing, and you need time to relax and wind down.
Remember what you can do, not what you can’t
Stress often comes from a fear of failure, and dealing with possible failure is all part of setting realistic goals. In other words, don’t over-reach or set yourself up to fail. Know what you can do, and make sure can do this to the best of your ability on the day of the exam. If you are sitting more than one exam don’t let your performance in one session affect your performance in the next. It’s easy to think you did badly, when in fact you did as well as you could. If you revised effectively then you should feel confident in your ability.
---------------------------------------------------
Exam stress is a perfectly natural response to what is very important event, but you must keep thing in perspective. Over-anxiety is unproductive, it makes for bad revision and bad exam performance. So how can you keep stress under control?
Good stress and bad stress
According to Ian, stress is not always a bad thing. It can keep you sharp, encourage you to study, and can help banish complacency. Don't try to control stress completely, but channel the energy it gives you into positive revision and good preparation. Recognize when you are feeling over-stressed and then step back.Learn to slow down
Ian advices students to close their eyes for few moments while breathing slowly and deeply, when stress levels rise. Wait for your thoughts to calm, and then take stock of the situation and carry on. A few moments are often all it takes to get back our perspective. Examiners often say, when commenting on student performance, that students will often answer the question they want to see, not the question on the exam paper. This is often caused by stress-of rushing to read the paper, grabbing at questions, and not slowing down enough to read things properly.
Take control
The feeling that things are going out of control often causes stress so you need to reverse this. If you are really struggling when revising certain subjects then get extra help, as early as possible. In the exam, if you don’t understand a particular question, or can’t remember the answer, simply move on and come back to that question later, when you might find that your under-standing has improved.
Set realistic goals
Don’t raise your stress levels further by setting yourself unrealistic targets, especially when you revise. Get to know your abilities, and your limitations, and aim to do the best you can. If you know that you revise best in short bursts, then don’t set yourself hours of continuous study every night.
A healthy diet
Diet can affect mood and energy levels, but it can affect stress levels as well. Many students consider caffeine- whether from tea, coffee, cola or even chocolate-essential to their revision routine. But too much can make you jumpy and nervous, and hamper concentration, exactly the opposite of what you want. Instead use sleep, exercise and fresh air to stimulate a tired brain.
All work and no play
Keep stress at bay, and keep things in perspective, by giving yourself some time t let of steam. Make sure you have at least one free evening a week, and use the time to do something completely different –play sport, visit the cinema, go out with friends. Your brain needs time to deal with all the information it has been processing, and you need time to relax and wind down.
Remember what you can do, not what you can’t
Stress often comes from a fear of failure, and dealing with possible failure is all part of setting realistic goals. In other words, don’t over-reach or set yourself up to fail. Know what you can do, and make sure can do this to the best of your ability on the day of the exam. If you are sitting more than one exam don’t let your performance in one session affect your performance in the next. It’s easy to think you did badly, when in fact you did as well as you could. If you revised effectively then you should feel confident in your ability.
UTSAVA MURTHY OF LORD SRI MALAYAPPA(VENKATESWARA) WITH SRIDEVI AND BHUDEVI
(Click on the image to view full size)
(Click on the image to view full size)
"vEnkatAdri samam sthAnam brahmAndE nAsti kinchana,
vEnkatEsa samO dEvO na bhUtO na bhavishyati"
vEnkatEsa samO dEvO na bhUtO na bhavishyati"
which means...
"In this Universe there is no sacred place equivalent to Venkatadri(i.e.,There is no place in the whole Universe which is more auspicious than the hill Venkatachala). There is no God equivalent to Lord Venkateswara neither in the past nor in the future going to be(i.e.,There is no Archa murti (worshippable form) in all the three times (present,past and future) whose glories are comparable to the Lord of Venkatachala)"
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