It is that time in a student’s life when they have different experiences, and each student has a unique journey through board exams. While some students may feel confident and well-prepared, others experience stress, anxiety, and self-doubt. The pressure to perform well, meet expectations, and secure a bright future can take an emotional and physical toll. Many students experience disturbed eating and sleeping patterns and difficulty concentrating due to stress, distractions, or burnout. The long studying hours can also lead to exhaustion, anxiety, and fatigue. Seeing classmates perform better or being overly competitive can increase feelings of inadequacy.
Board exams are often considered synonymous with better colleges, better opportunities, and a stable future. This urge to fit in the mainstream of society leads the students to bury themselves in the piles of books and submerge in notes. Every student needs to manage the stress and anxiety that would take their sleep during boards. The good news, however, is that there are perfect strategies for effective stress management and top performance. Despite the challenges, the experience of board exams often teaches students valuable lessons—not just about academics, but about resilience, emotional regulation, and the importance of self-belief.
What Makes the Board Examination Stressful?
The same old connotation associated with parents’ sarcastic remarks about how Sharma ji’s son scored 95 percent in his pre-board exams and how you are still stuck on 89 percent always triggers the feeling of stress in children. High expectations from parents, teachers, and society in general make the child feel trapped under the weight of these expectations. The syllabus seems to be endless, and the time for preparation is so little that studying starts looking overwhelming and strikes the strings of fear of failure in them, going beyond which a student stops thinking, worrying instead about the results. Daily comparison with at least a few peers crushes their self-confidence and makes them doubt their capabilities.
To ensure that the child does not feel the burden of scoring the highest rank but rather focuses on the quality of the studies along with their health, here are some tips to inculcate during this exam season.
• Realistic Study Plans
One of the major ways to reduce immediate anxiety in children is by drawing realistic study plans. All of the subjects should be prioritized according to the level of difficulty, dedicating additional time to those areas that are more complex. Daily and weekly targets should be set to split the syllabus into smaller, more digestible chunks. One should follow the Pomodoro Technique, i.e., studying for 25-50 minutes followed by short breaks for a better improvement in concentration and minimal burnout. Regular revision is a key point as spaced repetition improves retention and reduces anxiety during exams.
• Healthy Lifestyle
It is a well-known fact that a healthy body is the prime prerequisite for the optimum performance of one's brain. Eating healthy foods like nuts, fruits, and dark chocolate would help to energize and boost concentration. Daily exercise, like a 30-minute walk or light workout also helps to release stress hormones and enhances the mood of the children. A minimum sleep of 7 to 8 hours is necessary for memory retention and the functioning of the brain, which must be practiced by the children regularly.
Do you know even 5-10 minutes of yoga and daily meditation have proven beneficial in promoting a sense of tranquillity, which also works to relax muscles, refresh the mind, and make the children study efficiently?
• Normalize and Acknowledge Your Emotions
It is okay to feel stressed, anxious, or overwhelmed—acknowledge these feelings instead of suppressing them. Avoid self-criticism; instead, practice self-compassion by reminding yourself that effort matters more than perfection. Write down thoughts and emotions to release mental tension.
• Keep off Procrastination and Destructiveness
Procrastination brings about tension during exam times, which leads to cramming at the last minute and worrying. As a result, instead, children must try to create tiny, achievable goals so that they can stay on track. Minimizing distractions and shutting off the notifications for social media could bring great changes in the memorizing power.
• Use Relaxation and Stress-Relief Techniques
Deep Breathing Exercises, that is, practice box breathing (inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4). Spend 5-10 minutes daily in guided meditation to clear your mind. Stretching or Light Exercise can also help, as physical movement helps release stress and boosts.
• Change Your Concept of Examination
Your emotions are determined by your thoughts, and a positive attitude can significantly guard you against stress. You must believe in yourself and trust in your self-abilities. Remember to avoid negative self-talk by replacing the “I cannot do this” by saying, “I will do my best.” Imagining success and seeing yourself confidently writing the exam can help build confidence and improve performance. Reframing negative thoughts can help reduce stress and boost confidence. Here are some helpful reframes from the best psychiatrist hospital in Delhi for common board exam worries:
- Instead of saying, "My mind will go blank during the exam." I can say, "I will stay calm and recall what I have learned."
- Instead of saying, "I have too much to study, I’ll never finish." I can rephrase, "I will focus on one topic at a time and do my best."
- Instead of saying, "I need to get perfect marks, or I have failed." I can say, "Doing my best is enough. Progress is more important than perfection."
- Replace "One mistake means I’ve messed up everything." by "Mistakes help me learn and improve. I will keep going."
- Rephrase "Others are smarter than me; I can’t compete." with "Everyone has their strengths. I will focus on my progress."
• Allow breaks and indulge yourself.
Continuous study for extended hours without any kind of break will lead to a state of burnout. Hence, short periods away from the study refreshes one's mind, and thus, productivity is boosted. Children could involve themselves in activities they enjoy, such as listening to music, playing a game, or making some chitchats with their best friend. Reward yourself after having a study session finished with simple prizes, such as watching a favourite show or enjoying a snack.
• Seek the support of family and friends.
You need not endure this very stressful period alone. You can relieve the burden and get some emotional support by speaking to a trusted someone about the stress you are going through. If there are certain areas in your studies that you do not understand, do not hesitate to ask your teachers, tutors, or even fellow students about them. Also, group study makes everything much livelier and more exciting.
• Day of the Exam, Strategies to Stay Calm
It is the big day, and you must keep your cool so that you can perform your best. Wake up early to avoid the rushing that results from waking up late and follow a relaxed morning routine. A little nutritious breakfast is good for keeping energy levels up without feeling sluggish. Instead of going through what you have learned in the last few moments, just look through the key points and summary notes for reinforcement. Before entering the exam hall, take a couple of deep breathing exercises to ease any nerves away and help you focus.
Exams are important, but they cannot define your future. Grades do not determine your worth. Instead, focus on doing all you can by remaining optimistic and striking a balance between study and the optimal rest required by your body. Success is not only about exams; it is also about learning and growing through life. Keep stress in check, believe in yourself, and hang free in confidence when it's your turn to take the exam. To gather more information about how to manage stress during board exams, book an appointment at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital today.
