“The Month of Torture” – Exam Anxiety

My classmates considered me very lucky as my birthday fell in the month of April, the month when all students were at their happiest as exams were over and vacations would begin. In contrast, March was considered “The month of Torture” as students all over India would have sleepless nights, panic attacks and no nails left to bite. Furthermore, the month was considered “Vital” to those writing their Boards as it defined their future. The overbearing pressure from parents, teachers and society put an immense amount of stress on these students leading to a condition called “Exam Anxiety”.

A certain level of anxiety while writing an exam is a normal human response as it serves as a criterion to move to the next level. At the same time, exam anxiety is when this fear is intense, prolonged and impedes one’s performance.

Some degree of suspicion is helpful as it motivates us to do better, but it has a negative impact when it becomes overbearing. This anxiety can be provoked by several factors, such as individual goals, innate need for perfectionism, high expectations by parents/teachers and the connectivity of the world as results these days are shared online.

Anxiety presents symptoms such as palpitations, tremors, increased sweat, nausea, shortness of breath, dizziness, cold extremities, and an urge to use the washroom. Exam anxiety also leads to other symptoms such as reduced concentration, easy distractibility, racing irrational thoughts, comparison with other students and fear of failure.