Examination nerves: Get a grip

It is not unusual for students to feel nervous during board exams, but panicking only worsens the situation, say teachers from city schools. Here is some valuable advice that teachers have for students appearing for standard X examinations.

One thing that all teachers agreed upon was that students should never leave out the parts they find difficult.

“Don’t get excited, if you find a question easy and at the same time don’t get tensed, if you find a question difficult. This is an exam and you have to go on till the end. Many a times, students avoid giving papers, fearing certain subjects, but they should not do this. They must attempt the paper at all costs; they can at least score a few marks by attempting the questions,” said AL Deshmukh, a teacher at Apte Prashala.

The principal of Apte Prashala, Teresa David, said, “The students must keep tabs on their performance. They should not compare themselves with others and get depressed or excited. Most of the time it leads to loss of confidence.”

“I believe that the students must have a timetable and should study the difficult subjects early in the morning. Students should not get bogged down by unnecessary pressure,” said Pallavi Naik, principal of Dr Kalmadi Shamrao High School, Aundh.

“Every paper has a break of at least two days. The students must take advantage of this time, as it is a crucial period. It has been proved that lack of good writing skills is the first step to failure. The students must write what they study so as to rectify their mistakes,” Deshmukh added. 

Seconding the opinion, David said, “Nowadays, students don’t make an effort to write what they learn. So, this year we conducted two prelim examinations to get them to practise writing. We also have students from the lower section of society, so we conducted a special meeting of parents and gave them tips on how to enhance the performance of their wards.”