Monday, May 12, 2008

Tips on avoiding stress in Exams - from the archives


As you might have already noticed, this month my main focus is on OURAeSI. It has completed 6th year and i know it has lot of great advice in the archives. So i am digging it up and posting the gems that i think that are relevant now and will help students and members of aeronautical society.

here one related to reducing exam stress that i wrote in ouraesi. I liked it very much and has lot of good tips that you can apply in the aesi exams.


Last semester's, as i come out of the maths exams, everyone was depressed. Question paper was good and easy. "Kaisa huya !" " Yaar question sahi that par......." Well almost everyone i met had this same answer. The questions were simple. But yet the students coming of the hall room had a different face, what was the reason i pondered. Even mine was the same case. Why, what went wrong? While coming back to our room, I discussed this with my roommate who also felt that way.

Well, the reason behind this took no more than the bus ride back to my room and i had zeroed anxiety as the main reason !

Ya in my case it was anxiety, it was same with kishore, hamza and many i met that day. It is normal to experience some level of anxiety or stress just before and during the examination. This is appropriate and helps spur us on. But when anxiety overrides efficiency, it must be controlled.

So this semester, before we go to exams i scoured the net and came up with this study and stress busting tips that will, i hope,allow us to give our best in the exams.

In my hurry, i forget to jot down the source of this info's.

It is normal to experience some level of anxiety or stress just before and during the examination. This is appropriate and helps spur us on.

However, occasionally our stress levels might surge unexpectedly and throw us off balance at just the wrong moment.

There are four likely times when this might happen
on the way to the exam
outside of the exam room
waiting for the paper
during the exam.


In most cases you will probably be too busy to worry about not passing.

Occasionally, however, you might find that you are running out of steam with a particular question. This can be a dangerous moment in an exam because it opens up the possibility for you to lose your focus and concentration.

There are several things that you can do if you find your thoughts drifting away from the task at hand.

Refocus.
Try to refocus your energy. Relax yourself by taking several deep breaths, hold them in and then count slowly as you let them out.


Reassess.
Decide whether to persevere with the question. Will your time be better spent on another question? You can always come back to this one when you have completed the other required questions. It is possible that you might remember things to use in this question while doing another.


Remember.

Keep reminding yourself that:


you do not have to give perfect answers
exams are designed to test what you know, they are not designed to fail you

you do not have to write down everything that has been written on the subject, just the main issues, ideas or points relevant for the question


Tips on avoiding stress in Exams:

Before the test - Begin studying early, review starting as soon as possible after the first lecture. Never cram the night before. Light review of already learned material. Lack of preparation is the cause of most exam stress. Once you have done all you can to prepare and understand the material then the goal is to relax. Recall improves as stress decreases however some stress is good.

Arrive on time

During the Exam - Manage your time wisely, preview the test and plan your attack. Don't worry about what the other students are doing. This is not a race, you do not get extra points for turning your test in first. use the time allotted to be careful. I see so many careless mistakes that would have been avoided had the student took the time to carefully read the question. Quality is the goal. If you find your self losing concentration. Stop working take a deep breath use muscle relaxation stretch after a minute return to work.

People usually think of the answer to a question after they turn in the test. This is because as soon as they turn in the test the stress level drops and the recall ability increases. The best way to get better at taking exams is to take them often and take lots of them.

Related stories


Ebooks for aerospace
Wealth of knowledge in OURAeSI file section
Aerodynamics ebook on net
5 tips for studying for exams
How to eliminate Worries and confusions during training

Best of luck guys and gals !!!

Search This Blog