Exam stress is a feeling of pressure that students experience during revision periods and before exams. Stress can cause unhealthy coping behaviors like substance abuse. Roughly half of Indian college students do not graduate, with poor exam results contributing to dropout rates. Stress manifests physically through headaches and digestive issues, and mentally through anxiety, depression, and mood changes. Healthy activities like exercise, sleep, dark chocolate, and limiting social media can help reduce stress, while creating a study plan and sticking to it promotes focus and memory retention. Quotes encourage maintaining perspective that one exam does not define your future.

1. By Daksh Gogia
Bennett University

2. Exam stress is a feeling of pressure that many young
people feel coming up to exam time. It usually occurs
during the revision period before exams and immediately
before the exams. Stress is defined as an individual's
response to pressure.

3. Heavy drinking, drug or tobacco use
A feeling of being overwhelmed with multiple tests
can cause students to try to find different relaxation
outlets. Sometimes, students turn to heavy drinking,
drug or tobacco use to try and reduce stress levels.
These unhealthy habits lead to more issues down the
road, including the risk of addiction and all of the
common problems associated with substance abuse.

4. Roughly 50 percent of Indian college students who enter
college do not end up graduating, according to Indian
Census figures, which say out 0f 40 students in a class only
25 students pursue for graduation degree. Rest drops a year.
Though there are many other factors influencing drop-out
rates, declining academic success from poor test results can
lead to students giving up and dropping out (or flunking
out) of school

5. The burden of multiple tests can weigh you down, draining
your energy or making you extremely anxious.
A feeling of despair or dread is common in some students
during test taking. Some students develop issues of anxiety
as they struggle to achieve certain grades and put pressure
on themselves.
Depression and anxiety can manifest in a range of ways,
causing small to severe effects.

6. Stress can play a part in problems such as headaches,
high blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes, skin
conditions, asthma and arthritis.
Other physical symptoms include headaches, upset
stomach, elevated blood pressure and chest
pain. Research suggests that stress can also bring on or
worsen certain symptoms of diseases

7. Stress can prove extremely frustrating and cause you to feel
a range of emotions.
Moodiness, irritability or short temper and agitation can
result from stress, as can a feeling of being overwhelmed
and a sense of isolation and loneliness.
Procrastinating or neglecting responsibilities and nervous
habits such as nail biting and pacing can also result from
too much stress.

9. Listening to music can create a positive and productive
environment by elevating your mood and encouraging you
to study more effectively and for longer. Classical music is
recommended as the best type of music to boost your brain
power but ambient music can work too. Check out the
playlists on Spotify to easily find what works for you.

10. Many students feel as if they should spend their entire
time before exams with their books open and their pen
poised for action. However, research has proven that
exercising such as taking a walk can boost your
memory and brain power.

11. This may not be a big surprise but what is shocking is the
amount of students who discount the benefits of creating
a personal study plan. With some initial effort, you can
become more productive and motivated each day you
approach your study by understanding your learning
progress. If you’re using our learning platform, the
GoConqr calendar tool will help you align your goals with
your day-to-day study, get started here.

12. For some people, this is something that’s always put on the
long finger especially if you are trying to get the most out of
college life. The benefits of a proper night’s sleep can never
be underestimated. Most importantly, sleep helps your
brain to assimilate new knowledge into your long-term
memory so that you can recall it when it comes to test day.
Anyone who has tried to concentrate with half a night’s
sleep can also testify to improved focus with better sleep.

13. Believe it or not this is 100% true. Eating dark
chocolate which is over 70% cocoa fights the exam
stress hormone cortisol and has an overall relaxing
effect on the body. Plus chocolate releases endorphins
which act as a natural stress fighter.

14. I bet you don’t even realise the number of times you
check Facebook, Instagram or whatever your vice is?
When you add it all up together, it amounts to a
significant waste of time. It can be hard to detach from
your life outside of studying but keeping the end goal
and timeframe in mind will ease the process. We
recommend the SelfControl website blocker.

15. A famous qoute by Thomas Edison
Tomorrow Is My Exam But I Don’t Care Because A
Single Sheet Of Paper Can’t Decide My Future

16. https://www.kaptest.com/blog/med-school-
pulse/2014/11/17/9-harmful-effects-test-induced-stress/
https://www.goconqr.com/en/examtime/blog/beat-exam-
stress-10-easy-ways/