How to reduce exam fear

Exams - everybody hates it but nobody can do away with it. It is inevitable that our children will have to face exams as long as they are in the education system. And we all know only too well how important exams are in the Singapore educational system.

While many students can learn and absorb information well, when it comes to exams, most tend to experience ‘exam stresses’. There are very few students who can walk into the exam room feeling completely confident. Even the well prepared, will feel a little anxious. Unfortunately for some it actually affects them so much that they can experience mental block or even physical symptoms like fever and diarrhea.

Why do children experience exam fear?

Here are some reasons:
1. Past experience of failing an exam makes them worry about the possibility of another failure.
2. Fear of being judged by significant people like best friends and peers.
3. High expectations from self, parents, teachers.
4. They realised that they have not prepared thoroughly and they didn’t have enough time to cover the syllabus adequately.
5. They may be suffering from low self esteem and feel that they can never pass or get good grades in the exams.

What can be done?

1. Make it a habit to digest one topic at a time.
The school curriculum does not wait for a student to thoroughly understand a topic before moving on to the next. Students get caught up in the rush and never really work to understand each topic clearly. They end up knowing fairly enough just to get by. Before they know it, it is exam time!

After a topic is covered in school, your child must aim to understand it completely. Make sure he shows a deeper understanding for each topic before moving on to the next. It is a bad idea to wait until it is to near the exam time before going for intensive revision sessions. A deeper understanding can be gauged by how well he answers the more difficult questions with minimal help.

Deeper level understanding happens when he is able to apply his concepts to questions that requires.

2. Know what you don’t know.
A lot of time, students assume they know everything they need to know about a topic after reading the text a few times. But this is not enough. Use assessment paper practices as a means of identifying areas within the topic that is not fully understood. For questions that he cannot find answers to or for those that he gets it wrong, he must strive to clarify those areas before he can say that he has studied the topic completely.

3. Review study techniques.
If your child is constantly doing poorly in assessments despite studying very diligently it is time to assess how effective his study techniques are. If it is not effective, try new methods. Too many students hold on to poor study techniques simply because that is familiar and not because it is effective. Do keep in mind that techniques used to master one subject may not apply for another. For example, Maths requires a lot of drilling but in Science drilling alone will not help if they don’t have a deeper understanding of the concepts.

3. Set target marks.
Your child will be more motivated to put in the extra effort if he is decided on a particular grade that he wants. Then he has something to gauge his efforts and understanding and work toward this grade. Target marks have to be realistic. Setting an A grade target when he is currently failing will only create more anxiety. He should work to get one-step improvement in grade per assessment over the whole year.

4. Study calmly.
High performing students tend to take a long-term approach to getting top grades. Average students tend to study too hard and over long hours per session to catch up on lost time. This cramming habit is not healthy and can only increase anxiety.

Healthy studying involves focused effort with short breaks interspersed to maintain momentum. The short breaks will help refresh the brain and help your child learn more. Recreation time is just as important as study time. Find the balance of the two. All study and no play makes Jack an anxious boy.

5. Memorise the essentials.
Studying is not the same as rote learning. If your child needs to memorise everything in a topic, it indicates a lack of understanding. The brain works with memory hooks. When we remember one thing, our mind naturally link it to things, events, emotions, memories associated with that thing. Likewise, teach your child to identify one hook per chunk of information so that he only needs to memorise that hook. Remembering it will help his mind draw out all the information.

There are many memory techniques that is marketed as the solution to your child’s study problem. But not all are effective for your child. Some may confuse him even more. Try a few techniques and stick to the one that actually works for your child.

Conclusion:
Having a thorough understanding of the concepts within a subject, being familiar with the type of questions he will be faced and having a clear target grade is the first step towards lowering exam stress.