How to get over the exam season pressure? Things you need to keep in mind before you sit for your board exams.

The board exams for classes 10th and 12th for the ICSE and CBSE boards start from the very next week. And as schools all over the country start setting themselves up for the exams, the students are just losing it.

The CBSE and ICSE board examination are one of the most widespread exams throughout India, and therefore, very obviously, are considered to be very important in building a career. The students appearing for their 10th-grade examinations need to score well to be eligible to study the subjects they wish for in the 11th and 12th grades, and the 12th graders appearing for their boards need the marks to get accepted in colleges if they wish to study a particular subject. So, very naturally, all those appearing for their board exams are very tense about them, but not without reason.

In India, the competition is so fierce, that due to certain social norms, students are endlessly judged by the marks they score. The board exams are so hyped in society that the students tend to lose confidence, and in turn, focus, worrying too much about the outcome of the exams. So, how to free your head of all these tensions? Remember these few things before you let the pressure overwhelm you.

1. Pressure from society-  In India, the marks you score in your boards are a very big deal. People all around you are very apprehensive about it, whether it be some neighbour, an acquaintance of your family, or even some relative you haven't talked to in years! they are going to keep on badgering you about the exams throughout, and then judge you based on the marks you score.

Do not spare a single thought to their opinions. These exams that you appear for are for you to test yourself, and not to satisfy some other person who hasn't had a role to play in your education, and neither will have one in the coming years of your life. You are not studying to keep society happy, you are studying to build your career. So never should you ever tense over "what people might say" if you don't score well.

2. Parents- They are probably one of the biggest factors behind all the tensions of a student. Even when the student manages to put the worries about the society judging them behind, the parents can't do so most of the time. It is often a matter of self-esteem for them and they like to express their pride over what their children have scored. This, in turn, puts a lot of pressure on the students' heads. They often see their parents worrying over how they might score, and are often disheartened when their parents tell them off for not studying enough.

Now for everyone who has experienced this, and I am pretty sure all have, do not get distracted by this, because this is natural, and is supposed to happen. You can never find a parent who isn't worried about what their child might do in the exams, and have scolded their children for not studying enough. It is absolutely common. They are your parents and care for you too much. You shouldn't just take their anger or worries into account and start fretting. Believe me, they aren't going do any of the things that they might be threatening to do now. So don't take unnecessary pressure thinking that you might end up letting your parents down. The chances of you letting down your parents reduce the moment you stop worrying about that and concentrate on what matters.

3. Classmates -The previous points were about the external pressure put on students. But now I am gonna talk about the pressure that comes from within. Whenever a student sees their classmates or own friends studying hard, and perhaps scoring better than them in practise tests and such, it instantly strikes their confidence. Even if they are well on track, they begin to question their preparation, whether or not may it be sufficient.

This is a predictable thing to happen, and since this comes from within you, these thoughts are tough to let go of. But what I would like to say is that it's not like you can help to do anything about how much your classmates might be studying. So I would suggest that you do the best you can, and trust your own preparation.

4. Prior performances- Many students now, are worried about the exams because they perhaps haven't scored good enough in the practice tests or think their preparation is not up to the mark, and so instead of working on their problems, they worry about the consequences.

That's the most naive mistake you can make. There is no point in worrying about how you might do in your exams. Take up your pen and copy and just try and better yourself as much as you can. It's okay to make a mistake sometimes, or not be perfect. All you should do to better your preparation is just keep on practising, and you'll do well in the exams.

So to top it all, I would say work hard, as much as you can. One last thing that you should definitely keep in mind is that class 10th or 12th grade board examinations aren't the end of the world. There'll be many more exams to come in life. Yes, you should definitely try and do your best, but don't be disheartened if you don't manage to achieve what you aspired for. Just get over it and start working hard again, and you'll do good.

All the best!