What's Causing Exam Stress

While we may debate whether examinations in our schools and colleges can ever be defanged of their fear factor, there seems to be growing concern that in the present form they induce considerable stress to students. Increasing media reports of young lives being snuffed out by suicide, and the manifold larger number of unreported scars and traumas produced by this annual event should evoke serious concern in us.

Stress may not always be bad. Without a dash of “positive” stress, we would not be striving to run or climb in life. Without it, I wonder if any of us would have struggled to reach wherever we have. However, with life getting more and more competitive and we getting more and more ambitious, too much is being perceived to be at stake. “Perform or perish” or “do or die” is the attitude that is assuming center stage in the minds of students, claiming the high price of mental and physical health.

Negative stress can be recognized reasonably early and easily. It causes anxiety, nervousness, diarrhoea, nausea, depression and headaches. Inability to concentrate, difficulty to fall asleep, loss of appetite, irritability, anger become common. Chewing the pencil, dressing shabbily, sticking to a small group of friends, not interacting openly with family and neighbours are common observations. Some children start showing cruelty to animals, or hurting their younger sibs. Thrills such a pizza binge, a movie or a hasty trip to a games park provide brief temporary reliefs, and the frown returns quickly. Rather than studying, the student is seen discussing exams on the phone or on the dining table most of the day. Constant worry and fear leads to a stage of emotional exhaustion that is called depression, when negative thoughts begin to play on our minds most of the time. 

If students, especially young ones in school, being the innocent sufferers can hardly be blamed for their stress, then who is /are the real culprits? A study conducted across countries showed that the greatest source of stress was indeed parents, especially in Asia. High parental pressure as the major cause of stress was reported in 60% of Asian (Indian, Chinese and Japanese) students, compared with only 5% of American students. Pressure caused by high expectation from teachers, peers, and in India – neighbours, are the other major contributors.

The reasons for well meaning parents to cause unintentional harm to their children, is intriguing. Struggling parents from “service” backgrounds are the usual culprits, rubbing their own sense of financial insecurity on to their children, often emotionally exhorting them to achieve the impossible as a return for their toil and care. If the poor child then fails to meet his parents’ expectations, he is overwhelmed with gulit and shame!

It should be the collective responsibility of parents and teachers to prepare students to cope with examination stress. Moreover, insecure parents should remind their children and themselves about the several success stories of people such as Bill Gates, Sachin Tendulkar, Micael Phelps, Albert Einstein and Rabindranath Tagore who failed to achieve in examinations, but won in life. How many examination toppers, who have become legends, can you count?

As Published in HT City ( Hindustan Times) dated 21 february , 2010.