By: Arun S

One of the most seen fears among students is the fear of failure in exams. This happens among students if he/she thinks the exam did not go well or sometimes from the post-exam discussion among classmates.

It is common among students of any age to undergo some sort of fear in their academic life. Below are the tips to get rid of the fear of failure and perform better in exams.

1. Be Optimistic

This is the most effective attitude you can invest in your life. Being positive towards everything you see around can bring a lot of difference to you. Try to be as positive as you can during exams and avoid unwanted arguments and discussions. Always nurture your thought of situations where you excelled and imagine that you are writing your exam with the utmost confidence. Being optimistic not only takes away your fear of failure but also boosts your confidence.

2. Prepare early, don’t wait for the last moment

It is proven that people who prepare well in advance for exams and other competitions have a very high probability to perform much better than those who prepare at the last moment. In fact, students feel content when they start studying early and can relax as they move closer to the dates of examination.

3. Never take up a new topic a day before the exam

One of the major mistakes we all do is that we try to complete all the syllabus rather than going through a topic. One thing we need to understand is that while delivering an answer in the examination, quality matters more than quantity. The quantity I referred to here is not the length of the answer that you write in your answer sheet but the volume of topics you covered. It is better if one could finish all the contents well in advance, but it is foolish and will generate fear if you take up new topics a day before your examination.

4. Avoid discussing your question paper with classmates after the exam

Typical behaviour of all the students right from kindergarten is the post-exam discussion. This can create a lot of fear among students who think that their peers’ answers were better than theirs and can spoil the post-exam fun until you get your results. The best way to approach this is to stay away from discussions and appreciate yourself that you have accomplished by completing your exams which you were preparing for a long time.

Never think about the results because what is done is done and no magic can change the answers. In the case of descriptive exams, believe and train your mind that your answers are unique and are a mixture of your views and perceptions which cannot be replicated by anybody else including the evaluator.  

About the Author:

Arun S., an MBA - Healthcare Management student at Manipal Institute of Management, interested in Marketing & Business Strategy predominantly in Healthcare sector.