The “tick-tock” sound of the clock that keeps on reminding that you are running out of time seems to be the worst sound anybody could possibly hear. The sweaty hands try to write but the mind is blank. You had prepared well but you couldn’t crack the test. We all, as a student sometimes or the other has been in this situation, haven’t we?
Test anxiety is one of the most common problems among all the students. Some simply let the fear go but most of the students let the fear conquer them. Test anxiety in a simple sense is the condition or nervousness due to fear of failure, overpressure that occurs before or during the test. Various causes are leading to this problem. The main factor leading to this situation is the overpressure from family, relatives as well as society. We give huge importance to the test, examinations, and grades that the students feel need to get good grades. Studying does not only mean getting good ranks and grades, though it might be a part of it; but it should not be a sole factor to judge someone. Our society compares the two unique personalities and finally makes them feel inferior to each other. Every individual is different. One may possess something the other doesn’t have while others might possess some different skills. We cannot simply judge someone based on their marks and grades. Since, a very tender age we have been asked to get the best possible grade, be the top of our class and what not? Due to pressurization from them, students forget to enjoy what they are learning; they simply study to get good grades. What’s even the point of learning if you cannot utilize your knowledge later at some point in our life?
The expectation of high grades often promotes the rote learning process in the students. Their mindset has been in such a way that they believe getting high scores is everything. And if someone fails to bring the marks as per the expectations, they make them feel that it’s the end of the world and there are no other chances left to prove themselves. In reality, it’s better to teach students about learning and getting most out of it than compelling them to score perfect scores. Studies are very important, but they are not everything.
Another prime reason why the student faces test anxiety is a lack of confidence or unpreparedness. The students studying and preparing for the examination at the eleventh hour cannot finish all the course and ends up performing poorly. One needs to have a revision daily rather than piling up for the future. It’s better to plan ahead rather than cramming up the whole night just before the test. Studies have also proven that the students who had a sound sleep before the examinations tend to perform better than those who stay up the whole night. So, one needs to be prepared and make sure that he/she has learned or covered every topic that is in the syllabus. If a student is well prepared, then there will be no fear of filing or spoiling the exam.
This is the cyclic process. If a person experiences test anxiety and spoils one exam, the same student may be fearful about the next exam too. This leads to more anxiousness in the next exam and they end up spoiling as well. So, one needs to be well prepared and confident enough.
Another important thing that we all must keep in mind is that don’t after the “Mr./Ms. Perfect” tag. We all are not the same and don’t ruin our question yourself just because you are not like others. Life is much more than stellar academics and degrees. Every individual has some kind or the other talents, passion. It’s just that you need to recognize and polish them. Academics is not only the place where you can excel there are a lot of areas where you can equally excel, but it’s also all the matter of hard work and dedication.
One cannot achieve success overnight, it needs hard work, patience as well as perseverance. To get the best result, one must put the effort accordingly. Boasting and giving big talks are not enough, one should prove it rather than speaking about it.
Don’t let the fear conquer you!!
-Anupa Khanal
