How to overcome exam fear and stress? Dealing with Exam Phobia

How to overcome exam fear and stress? Dealing with Exam Phobia

How to overcome exam fear and stress Dealing with Exam Phobia

Are you facing exam fear? Well, if you are stressed out due to your exams then this blog will surely help you out. It thoroughly explains how to overcome exam fear.

Almost every student has faced the problem of exam fear and stress at some point of time in their life. These days exam fear is quite common among students and most of them face difficulty in overcoming it. This blog provides tips by which you can easily overcome this fear.

 If nothing works for you then look out for career counselling from the experts on SeekEx. The consultants will listen to you carefully and analyse the main cause and therefore help you to overcome all the fear and stress. You can comfortably sit for your exam and obtain a good score.  

What is Exam Fear?

Exam fear is a psychological condition of students before or during their exams. Many people experience some sort of stress during exams but actually, this stress causes hindrance in the learning process and the performance of the exam. That’s the reason students wonder how to overcome exam fear. This situation arises when the students are under extreme pressure to perform well. As a result, they become anxious because they can’t give their best.  

Often due to excessive exam stress students suffer from anxiety and even depression in some cases. At times just because of examination fear students are unable to perform well and it causes obstacles to their scholastic achievement. Students should remain critical about it and try to find out how to reduce exam stress. Besides that, it’s necessary that they acknowledge they are in fear then only they can conquer it at the right time.

According to a survey, most students face exam stress because parents pressurise them for better performance or parents keep quite high expectations from them. A little pressure from parents from time to time can actually motivate students to work hard and perform well. Although pressurizing students too much for performing well decreases their performance. Hence, it is very important to know how to overcome exam fear and control it for better performance. 

What are the symptoms of exam fear?

Before finding out how to overcome exam fear, it’s essential to know the symptoms of exam fear. It will help you to understand whether you are actually facing the exam fear or not. The symptoms may vary from student to student and mild to severe. Each student experiences some mild symptoms of fear before exams and still, they are able to perform well. While some students have severe exam stress symptoms and get incapacitated and thus perform poorly. In the worst cases, they experience panic attacks. 

That’s why recognition of symptoms is essential to detect the type of exam fear and thus finding out how to overcome exam fear becomes easy. Here are different types of symptoms that the students may experience during exam fear:

  • Physical Symptoms: The first thing by which one can easily identify that they are suffering from exam fear is the physical symptoms. It includes rapid heartbeat, dry mouth, nausea, sweating, shaking, and fainting. During exam pressure on teenagers, they feel butterflies in their stomachs. However, the situation can worsen with the severity and lead to some serious symptoms of physical illness which include nausea, diarrhea, or vomiting. If you are suffering from these physical problems then you should immediately rush to find out how to overcome exam fear
  • Behavioral Symptoms: Apart from physical symptoms there are lots of behavioral symptoms that show that a person is suffering from exam stress. In the case of teenage students, they may skip classes or drop out of school. Often college students start taking drugs or alcohol to cope with exam stress. But for coping with exam pressure in an effective way you need to have career counselling. Most students don’t know career options after 12th hense they have a lack of clarity. Some of the students may also suffer from cognitive problems like memory loss, difficulty in concentration and always having negative self-talk. Only when students talk with professional consultants they can find out how to overcome exam fear. 
  • Emotional Symptoms: The common emotional symptoms of exam fear includes depression, a decrease in self-esteem, feeling of hopelessness, and anger. Though there are numerous ways by which students can control these emotional symptoms after they find how to overcome exam fear. By learning about the possible causes of exam fear, students can avoid such unpleasant emotional feelings.

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What are the possible causes of exam fear?

Cause of Exam Fear and ways to overcome

Many people don’t even realise that exam fear is a common phenomenon and can appear in anyone. Those who experience it know that it can be really stressful. As a result of stress, usually, nervousness and exam fear arise. It may be normal for many but for few it can be so intense that it actually interferes with the ability to perform in the exam.

 In that situation, how to overcome exam fear becomes quite important. So, for that, you must know what causes exam fear. For many students, it’s not a single thing that provokes fear for them. In fact, fear may be a consequence of a combination of things. Sometimes, poor study habits, last-minute preparations can be the underlying cause of exam fear that contributes to stress. 

Let’s discuss each cause here briefly:

  • Fear of failing: One of the major causes of exam stress is the fear of failing in it. If you try to connect your abilities with the scores that you expect to get in the exam then pressures builts and lead to exam stress. Hence, if you want to know how to overcome exam fear then you must stop comparing your abilities with your scores. 
  • Poor history: Often the students who had performed poorly before are always in exam fear. Usually, exam tension arises because of two main reasons: one is that students might not have prepared well for the exam whereas the other reason is that they have become so anxious that they are unable to remember the answers. Moreover, such situations can cause a negative attitude towards examination and lead to more stress. If you want to find out how to overcome exam fear you must first analyse your history of stress and accordingly address the causes. 
  • Inadequate preparation for the exam: Those students who are not prepared for the exam fear suffering from more stress and fear than the students who prepare well and always remain attentive in classes. Most of the time when they  try to find out how to overcome exam fear then they realise the main cause of fear is that they are not prepared for the exam. 
  • Irrational beliefs: Often students have some sort of unfounded fears and start to doubt themselves. If they can’t trust their own abilities and believe that they can perform well then that can surely lead to exam stress. They may have a belief that if they don’t obtain a certain percentage then they are not superior to some specific students. This makes the students more tense and results in fear of examination
  • Unmanageable pressure: Students have pressure to perform well from their teachers, parents, peers as well as acquaintances. The unmanageable pressure on them to give their best leads to too much stress for the students. At times it impacts children to the extent that some of them take adverse steps like suicide when they can’t perform as per the expectation. The best way of exam stress management is to handle and manage the pressure of performance from others. 
  • Decrease in Self Esteem: One of the major causes of exam fear in students is a lack of confidence or a decrease in self-esteem. There may be some incidents in the past that have decreased your self-esteem or you are confused about vision. As a result, you fail to attempt the exam properly and the scores fall which again results in a decrease in self-esteem. So, before you find out how to overcome exam fear, take out time to increase your confidence level. 
  • Biological causes: Among other common causes of exam fear one of the reasons is biological. Whenever there’s a stressful situation like before or during the exam the body secretes a hormone known as adrenaline. This hormone allows the body to cope with exam stress effectively. In some instances, it prepares you to deal with the stressful situation and in some instances, it convinces you to escape from the situation completely. In some cases, the adrenaline hormones can be good for you. As it prepares you to deal with any stressful situation effectively. But when it becomes excessive then it is difficult to perform well in an exam. In that situation, it becomes essential to know how to overcome the exam fear from the experts. 
  • Mental causes: Apart from the biological causes, there are numerous mental factors that play an important role in creating exam fear. Suppose a student feels that he can’t do well in an examination then there are a lot of possibilities that the student can’t perform effectively in the exam. Moreover, it’s quite likely that they will become anxious before or during the exam. But some tips for exam stress by experts can enable them to overcome the stress effectively. 

How to overcome exam fear?

How to prevent Exam Fear in Children

Education is compulsory for every student but stress during exams is not mandatory. During exams, students get anxious and stressed due to exam fear. Sometimes students are forced to take extreme steps when they are unable to handle exam fear.

Although common fear and anxiety are quite normal before it crosses all their limits, it’s essential to find out how to overcome the exam fear. Experts suggest following some tips to overcome exam fear. By following these simple tips students can easily reduce their pressure and end up performing quite well in the exams. Below mentioned are the tips for overcoming exam fear:

Have a timetable

Irrespective of class, every student must have a timetable. The timings should be set according to your convenience. Not the students nor the parents of the students should follow the routine of somebody else. Everybody is unique and thus has their own set of priorities. Some students find it comfortable to study at night while some prefer to study early in the morning. So, make your own personalized timetable. This is one of the most important tips to check how to overcome exam fear.

You can also consult the experts who would help you to get your personalized timetable. When you prepare according to a timetable then it’s possible you remain confident during your exams.

Get a proper study plan

Planning is essential for completing a specific syllabus on time. If you plan and study then there are less chances that you will miss anything from your syllabus. So, follow the timetable and work according to the plan. If you consult a career consultant and get a proper study plan then in the long run you can find that it will impact your mind and memory in a better way. Moreover, you will be able to understand a topic in a better way and thus it will remain in your memory for a longer duration.

Therefore, you can easily find out how to cope with stress and perform well in exams.

Revise beforehand

Often students have a tendency to revise at the last moment. You shouldn’t do that and start revising as early as possible. Your revision should start at least 3 days before your actual date of exam. A night before the exam you should just have a look at the topics just for relaxation and to confirm that you are well prepared for the exam. This tip is effective for the students who have studied and prepared well for the exam but keep wondering how to relieve stress quickly

Give equal importance to every subject

Usually, students tend to focus on those subjects that they find difficult or the ones that they are not prepared for. However, in the race of performing well in one tough subject, you tend to forget to prepare for other subjects. As a result, when the exam date appears nearer you may feel that you are not prepared well for those subjects. This is a situation that causes exam fear and forces you to determine how to overcome the exam fear. Therefore, you should prepare a study plan and try to focus on every subject equally.

Take adequate rest

Exams are definitely very strenuous for the students but always prepare according to the time table. This is to ensure that you complete the entire syllabus and also sleep on time. If you don’t have a study plan or a time table then you waste a good amount of time in confusion about which topic to cover. As a result, you have to compromise your sleep timings to prepare for the exam. Proper sleep is necessary to keep the mind active. For a student, a sleep of 8 to 9 hours is mandatory to perform effectively.

A calm mind relaxes exam stress to a great extent. Those students who try to find out how to overcome exam fear should sleep well before exams. 

Take necessary breaks

While studying it’s essential that you allot some time in your time table for breaks. Continuously studying for hours can exhaust you and make your mind tired. This can ultimately impact your health adversely. While preparing for an examination, if you suffer from exam fear and wonder how to overcome exam fear then the best way out is to take breaks at a regular interval and relax yourself. This would reduce your stress to some extent. 

Meditate

Many pieces of research have proved that those students who meditate remain relaxed and focused while preparing for the exam as well as in the exam. The students who haven’t practiced meditation remained worried throughout the examination process. Meditation is the process of gaining control over one’s mind and thoughts. It is an effective process by which you can easily overcome fear. Apart from dealing with exam phobia, there are numerous other benefits of meditating continuously.

It enhances memory, boosts concentration level, and most importantly it enables you to direct your energy in a better direction. 

Consult Career counsellors

The most effective way to overcome exam stress is to consult career counsellors. They enable you to create a complete study plan and time table accordingly. Moreover, they motivate you to work hard and follow your study plan dedicatedly. As a result, you tend to complete your syllabus on time and have enough time for revision. Hence, before and during your exam you will remain calm and stress-free, Career counsellors also provide tips for effective exam stress management.

So, if you are wondering how to overcome exam fear then simply consult a genuine career counsellor. 

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What are the ways Parents help to overcome exam fear?

Parents play an important role in the child’s development. Usually, parents can easily help children to handle their stress levels before and during exams. Most students keep wondering how to overcome exam fear but they don’t realise their parents can actually help them a lot in the process. 

However, many students face exam fear because of their parents. Often parents may keep lots of expectations from their child to perform well in the exam and secure a good score. These expectations can be harmful to children and leave them with exam stress and thus ultimately they tend to perform poorly in the exam.

Here are the ways by which parents can help to overcome exam fear:

  1. Never pressurise children

At times parents may encourage children to perform well. But that may sometimes lead to stress for the children. Parents may not even realise that they had put some unrealistic expectations on their child which is creating exam fear in them. Career counselling can help both parents and students as the counsellors set up a limit for both. 

Parents shouldn’t force children to excel and perform better than any other child. Comparison and forcing can create exam fear in the minds of the children. Every parent is capable of understanding the strengths and weaknesses of children. Instead of loading the child with a series of expectations, parents must help students to find how to come out of the stress. This will not only help them to overcome the exam fear but they will be able to perform much better in the exams.

  1. Have a conversation with the child

These days parents are very busy in their daily life. As both, the parents are working so they spend no or very little time with the child. Without a proper conversation, parents can never understand what the child is thinking. In that situation forget about helping children to handle exam fear. So, parents must have a healthy conversation with their child often if every day is not possible.

Having a conversation helps the parents to understand the child in a better way and thus the child can heal and reduce their stress level in a better way. Some parents don’t have time to talk to the child properly. This sort of ignorance can have a negative impact on the child and lead to exam fear in them. Therefore, if you want your child to understand how to overcome exam fear, talk to them about it briefly. 

  1. Have a check on the child’s routine

Career counsellors may provide a proper study plan and a timetable that students must follow dedicatedly. To some extent, if a child prepares for an exam according to a routine then there are chances that they will be able to handle all sorts of stress during the exam. It is the responsibility of the parents to keep a check that the children are following the timetable. This is a very important step for those who are searching how to overcome exam fear

Nowadays parents are busy in their professional life and have very little time for their children. But you must take care of the routine of the child and check that they are taking proper rest, food, and studying as per their time table. In this way, parents can help children to deal with the fear of the exam. If parents take care of these aspects then it will automatically increase the concentration level of the child and decrease the stress level.

  1. Provide unconditional support to the child

Every child needs support and when there’s unconditional support from the parents that enhances the confidence level in the children, Irrespective of the class your child is in or if they face difficulty in making decisions regarding their career then support is something that helps them to cope with the stress. 

Parents should support their children to make the relevant decision. A small appreciation from parents can reduce stress to a large extent. Children may try to find out how to overcome the exam fear but a small appreciation from parents boosts their confidence level and enables them to overcome the fear. 

How Career Counsellors on SeekEx help to overcome exam fear? 

How Career Counsellors on SeekEx help to overcome exam fear

SeekEx is an online career consultation app that has experienced career counsellors to guide students regarding their career after 10th or 12th.

You May like: Career guidance after 10th | What to choose After 10th Class?

Whenever anyone is wondering how to overcome the exam fear, career counsellors come to the rescue. They are someone who is not restricted to helping you to make the right career decision only. They provide all relevant support to ensure that students choose the right career path and are able to reduce their exam stress. 

SeekEx has multiple online counselling programs that offer extensive interactive sessions with experts. For those students who want to find ways how to overcome exam fear effectively, career counselling on SeekEx is highly recommended. Let’s check out the ways by which career counsellors on SeekEx help to overcome exam fear:

  1. Creates a study plan

Once a student consults a career counsellor on SeekEx, they will help them to identify their weakness and strengths. According to that, they provide a study plan and a complete daily routine to follow. If students follow that routine with determination then they can complete the syllabus before time and have enough time for revision. This will help in balancing the stress level and overcome exam fear easily.

  1. Guides to cope up with weakness

Every child is unique in itself and thus has a different set of weaknesses. Sometimes these weaknesses prevent them from performing well in the exam. As a result, they suffer from exam fear and always try to find out how to overcome exam fear. Suppose a student is unable to study in the early morning, that’s his/her weakness. Career counsellor on SeekEx understand this weakness and provide a way out of it. Like they will make the time table in such a way that early morning timings are excluded. Therefore, students will be able to cope with their weaknesses and thus overcome exam fear. 

  1. Motivates

One of the key factors to handle exam fear is the right motivation. Career counsellors on SeekEx keep on motivating students throughout the journey. However, when it is about how to overcome exam fear then the counsellors provide numerous simple tips to the students. One such tip is to use exam stress quotes in such a place where they can see them again and again. This helps them to remain motivated and follow the routine provided by the consultants. 

  1. Provides consultation to the parents

As already discussed, parents have an important role in helping the students to tackle exam fear. The consultants on SeekEx not only provide consultation to the students regarding how to overcome the exam fear but also have a brief conversation with the parents. This enables the consultant to understand whether parents are pressurizing their children in any way. If so they provide guidance to the parents and explain to them how they can keep a check on the children’s daily routine and keep them energized to perform well in the exam. 

Conclusion

Exam fear is something that almost every child faces some time in their career journey. However, with simple tips, parents’ support, and the right career consultation, overcoming exam fear is quite easy. When students are struggling to find how to overcome exam fear then meditation can bring peace to the mind and provide the right direction to the energy. Even career consultants suggest meditating as it helps the students to focus better on their studies and overcome exam fear easily. 

SeekEx has world-class features that enable the seekers to get instant consultation with the experts from the comfort of their homes. If you want to deal with exam fear, get the seekEx app and consult the experts now! 

Frequently Asked Questions

My parents have lots of expectations from me. I too want to perform well in Class 12 boards. How can I overcome my exam fear?

To overcome exam fear before preparing for your class 12 boards consult an expert on SeekEx and attend their session with your parents.

I always work hard to score good marks. But why am I unable to perform well in the exam?

In Spite of studying well you fail to perform well in examinations because of exam fear. Meditate, prepare a study plan and follow other tips by consultants to avoid exam fear.

I shall appear for class 10 board exams this year. Often I feel palpitations and a sense of fear runs through me. Am I suffering from exam fear? How can I overcome it?

Yes, probably you are suffering from exam fear and you can overcome exam fear by following some simple tips. Get a consultation from experts on the SeekEx app to find out how to overcome exam fear.

How to remain motivated during exams?

You remain motivated during exams if you plan your study in a proper way and complete your revision on time. 

How can a career consultant help me to deal with exam fear?

A career consultant has a conversation with the student and their parents to understand the situation clearly. According to that, they provide various techniques to the students to avoid exam fear. 


SeekEx Team is responsible for publishing Expert's views and opinions shared with SeekEx Technologies Pvt. Ltd. We are solely focused on providing value to aspirants who want to pursue a greater career that provides self-satisfaction and standards of living. SeekEx team is heading with the approach of providing valuable Career counseling and career development tips, news, opinions, and recommendations.


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