The day does come when a student has to face his/her fate and embrace what the future beholds-- an agonising 24-hour countdown before the exam halls open. For many students, the routine of panic, anxiety and advent of other rather unhelpful emotions start shortly after the exam schedules are out. Although all students may not display such overwhelming response to examinations, the majority usually have tales of woe to share regarding the day preceding the big event.
In order to adjust to the omnipresent stress before a test, it is important to dig deep and find its roots. Be it a board exam, IELTS, SAT, an admission test or even a job interview, the pre-exam jitters are less likely to occur when its causes are known and dealt with properly. So, why do these happen?
"Peer pressure of all sorts -- from family and friends alike, increases the weight of expectations and sometimes it is just too much to take," said Showvik Biswas, a former student of Dhanmondi Tutorial currently studying at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET.)
"Depending on the degree of the exam, the student may start over thinking about the aftermaths of a failed effort, and this will most definitely affect him/her on the day of the exam."
The fear of failure and being termed as an 'embarrassment' by people around give birth to nervousness. Hence, instead of focusing on the exam itself, students tend to worry more about the worst-case scenarios. Even though all exams are more or less important, intrusive people tend to make a huge deal out of them, putting enormous pressure on the candidates.
"According to most guardians, getting unsatisfactory results is as bad as committing a crime," Samiha Rahman, an ex-student of Sunbeams School currently studying at IBA-DU added to the matter. "This extra load of burden makes even the easiest exam seem too much to handle."
Since society is not changing any time soon, it is better to be prepared for the obstacles. As the exams draw nearer, the load of pressure may feel heavier. In order to manage the intolerable distress the day before the event, it is important to focus solely on the exam and forget any tertiary pressure that can bring you down. Since most of the preparations are likely to be done by then, the day before an exam may not be that significant from an academic standpoint.
In addition to coping with mental stress, there are some actions that are recommended for the candidates. Standard protocols such as organising all the stationery that one would need for the exam, double-checking the documents needed are two of the many actions a candidate ought to take on that day.
"Go to bed 30 minutes before your usual time. Since the excitement and anxiety delays sleep, this should give a buffer period," advised Roza Shawal Rizwan (ranked first in IBA-DU BBA admission test), adding, "Listen to happy songs if needed. Keep your distance from anyone or anything that reminds you of negativity."
It is crucial to keep the body in a peak condition for the exam and avoid excessive consumption of sugar or junk food. It is common to see candidates stress-eat unhealthy food and ending up with a fragile health condition. Some night owls may resort to caffeine while going through the entire night studying. These types of counterproductive actions rarely add value to the exam preparation. There is hardly any need to make unhealthy changes to the diet of the students just one day prior to the exam. If anything, it is recommended to stick to the usual diet and include some healthy food into the palate.
"Never skip any meals. It will not do any good. It is best to keep the stomach calm and eat healthy," added the Coordinator of Mentors' Kalabagan Monwar Hossain Rokon to the issue. "You can glance through the notes, but staying up late is a huge red flag."
Moreover, it is a prevalent saying not to start a new topic just 24 hours before the exams. Starting a new topic at the 11th hour is likely to create a dent on the organised preparation. It will most likely be incomplete making the candidate more stressed and demotivated.
"Don't listen to rumours regarding illegal exam practices. Keep your ears open regarding legitimate news. Verify and cross-check any information that comes your way," further said Roza.
In the context of Bangladesh, the rumours of leaked questions and other unfair means circulate throughout Internet distracting the students. Under no circumstances, a candidate should engage in such illegal activities with a view to getting good grades by trading his/her moral compass. It is better to fail with head held high than committing a crime for a few extra marks.
In spite of all the dos and don'ts, candidates are likely to panic and stress before the exams which is perfectly normal. Being reasonably worried and scared for a cause usually denotes that the examinee cares about the outcome. Exams are the stepping stones to one's career, each leading one to the next. So, it is imperative to not give all the efforts just for the validation of the short-sighted society or certain petty people. Once all these tangential obstacles are taken care of, no amount of anxiety can hold one back.
The writer is a BBA student at IBA (DU). Feel free to contact him at
turjoy44@gmail.com