Testing Times: Students grappling with pressure to score well

A recent multi-city survey by a prominent healthcare group stated that 70 per cent Indian kids go sleepless before exams with 18 per cent sleeping only for three-five hours daily. While the authenticity of this survey cannot be vouchsafed by this newspaper, what is true is that come exam time, many students begin to have melt downs. A Class 12 boy in the non-medical stream recently called the CBSE helpline in panic stating that he “thought he knew everything” and could not cope with the stress. An alarmed mother of a girl in Class 12 non-medical told the counsellor that her daughter, a topper, was crying for the past 10 days and could not help her child. Across the country at the moment, students are feverishly going through revision notes and meticulously preparing timetables and schedules for a month-long examination that will decide their fate.

The spotlight is larger this year: Class 10 is appearing for the CBSE board examination for the first time since 2009. For Class 12 students, it is only the beginning of another gruelling six months where they will sit for numerous competitive exams and entrance tests, and scan cut-off lists by the dozen to find their rightful place.

They are, however, united in feeling one emotion: exam anxiety or stress. There are many factors that bring about exam-related stress, said counsellors and teachers. One of the major ones, however, is a “flawed concept of competitiveness”. Now, combine this with low self-esteem, fear of the unknown, pressure from the social media and parents, it becomes a dangerous mix.

“There are two types of students: those who are already performing well and those not so much. The first category has toppers competing with toppers, turning into a conflict of capability. Then there are the under-achievers who are lazy and the average student who is nagged by parents,” says Dr Chand Trehan, approved CBSE counsellor, who sits on the national CBSE helpline.

She is one of the 53 counsellors on the helpline who take students’ distress calls in slots. The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has dedicated a part of its official website for tips to deal with exams and frequently asked questions by students.