Study at home is like a blurred image, where you don’t know the existence and significance of a task that should be done at first. “How to study effectively during lockdown?” is a question that students are raising through social media and other resources because schools are facing on and off situation and student are compelled to sit at home and study online or own their own.

Home course indulges into schoolwork and entertainment leaks the concentration of study. There are no proper bells, teacher’s guidance and orders, change of periods, face-to-face lectures and many other aspects lack that make the study environment. It is said that a person makes their environment. Vibes generate inside the human body develop an environment at the mental level. Once you make your mind then the next step is to implement the thoughts in the real world. There are no hard and fast rules for exam preparation because every student has his mindset and house environment where he knows the best to fit according to his ease.

Here are the thoughts and plans we have analysed after studying different students during their exam preparation that they adopt to gain good marks. Not only this, but these methods are also helpful for other students.

Ignore frustration

Don’t get panic or frustrated due to the short time of preparation and lengthy course. First of all, make yourself relaxed and calm and ignore tensions and frustration as it can lower your working and learning stamina. A sound mind can perform better than a tired mind. Tensions and frustration can tire the mind and soul. So don’t lose hope and never lessen your spirit of working.

Select Important Chapters

One by one note all the important chapters of all books. Take help from past papers and mark important topics and chapters.

Schedule your timing on a time table

Divide the syllabus into the days remaining in starting exams. Then design a timetable just like periods in your institute. Give more time to those books which need more attention or you find them difficult for you. Keep break time also part of your timetable so that your mind can get some relaxation from continuous studies. A timetable can give you feel like you are sitting in the classroom. Don’t be pressurize while you are studying as it can lose your memory.

Practice make perfect

Learning is not enough if you are preparing for exams. A few bright students are having the ability to learn with just one-time practice or reading. But those students are in majority who take time in learning things and studying at home is a real challenge for those students. Such students need practical practice. If they are learning theories they should write them after learning them orally. Practice the mathematics questions more and more so that they can be at their fingertips.

If you are learning some language literature or essay writing then reading must be your habit. In essay writing note important heading and topics on the notebook. Practice letter and application format so that you can be prevented from any writing mistake on paper. Once you have done with writing that you have learned orally, read it again thoroughly as it can be crosscheck.

Self-Testing

Design your test session in which give tests to yourself. Write every content that you have learned and then check it personally so that you can be aware of your weakness in studies. It would be best if there is a highly educated person is present at your home and he can give you time in your studies and willing to check your tests. That person gives you more guidance in your learning and can highlight your mistakes.

Once you come to know about your mistakes, correct them and try to never repeat them. This way, there will be time management skills with no mistakes will be developed inside you. You will learn from your mistake without losing your chance in exams you would be better prepared.

Stay In touch with friends

Friends and class fellows are helpful in studies because they have all the study material. So stay in touch with them and share your data with them and ask them to share their knowledge and information too. So that you can be up to date with current important exam questions.

Follow Paper Pattern and Paper Scheme

Paper patterns and paper schemes are already shared every year before exams on the relative website of the exam authority so that students can follow them. During COVID-19 new paper schemes and paper patterns have been shared by all exam conducting entities. Students should follow them so that they can meet the necessary criteria of exams to pass.

Last, always follow the summaries of the chapters there is already mentioned about the important topics with the percentage of importance regarding exams point of view.

By: Mehreen Akhtar (mehreenakhtar14@gmail.com)

The entire world remained in a moment of awe until one started to get back towards learning avenues. One of the new normal is now online classes across the world. Due to the emergence of COVID – 19 and its persistence in Pakistan too has caused all educational institutes to shift their convention approaches towards distant learning. The governing bodies are also of the view to conduct online examinations for the first time, in addition to that, universities are planning to conduct online entry tests. Nevertheless, few of the primary and secondary schools looking to open up their operations are stressing on the implementation of Social Distancing Protocols. The distant learning has to be coped up well otherwise all the stakeholders will be at a risk of burning out.

Read also: Purpose of Educational Institutes

New normal has to be made effective by all its stakeholders, however, ones in the position of authority are the ones which can have long lasting impacts on distant education. The existing learning system can be made effective by reviewing what has worked, leaving behind what hasn’t worked and then moving forward in a positive direction. The main purpose of distant education shall be to provide best available resources to our students in these challenging times with keeping our well-being checked at the same time. However, the distant learning can be made effective in following ways:

1. Setting Boundaries around the time

Logging into the digital classrooms is just few clicks away but it shall not be a 24/7 service like relaxed working from home lifestyles. This is working harder than ever before and therefore, an effective work-life balance is pivotal for maintain energy and setting a specific timeframe. Adherence to clear and realistic working hours shall be maintained so that students know when to contact with teachers and this will also make students available during a scheduled time. In the free time or off-hours, teachers and students shall also urge themselves to exercise, do things of enjoyment and don’t think about online classes or teaching. It will be better in shifting back to classes with a new energy.

2. Refining the learning platform

Educational institutes shall have one broad base online learning platform in which all the information is available to student under one roof. If a student has to login different platforms each time, it can cause hustle and can be antecedent towards a troublesome situation. HEC has taken the lead in such an effort as it has advised all the Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) to develop their own Learning Management System (LMS) for maximum facilitation of the students.

Read also: Institutions need to facilitate their teachers’ right now

3. Implementation of lean teaching

Teaching is now distant learning, therefore, one has to take smarter approaches rather than goin for the hard work. It can be done in numerous ways by replacing long online teaching videos to concise videos not longer than 30 minutes. Taking feedback from students via an online platform rather than long typing, replacing writing assessments with project based tasks and using peer assessment and self-reflection techniques for the students. Parents can also be engaged in the tasks as they shall be briefed about their importance with regards to distant learning. Institutions shall provide strategies that parents can use for supporting learning from home.

By;
Daniyal Ahmad

The blogger hails from Lahore and has been writing content for various leading platforms since 2015. Education, Current Affairs, Sports and Social Issues are the expertise of blogger. The blogger can be contacted using his email address daniyal.ahmad71@gmail.com

The schools not only contribute towards the education of an individual but it goes far than that in building students for the future lives. Usually, the first part is categorized as main purpose of education but the latter part is more important in today’s world. The sole purpose of education is seen as increasing human skills only which are often called as job specific skills. One of the economics professor at George Mason University, states that at least 30% of the function of institutions is to only provide education and 70% shall be focused on personality development. Whereas, the research suggests that almost 80% of the attention is being paid to 30% of the function.

In other words, it could be said that the purpose of education is to serve public purpose rather than serving own self-centered concerns as they are centers of social change. One of the researchers had identified the purpose as it is not merely to understand the concepts but it is to challenge those concepts with in-depth understanding. Whereas, education in current landscape has become contradictory to all such views because there is hardly any room for improvisation to students. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that current educational system encages the students rather than facilitating them in liberating themselves. All the societies have different perceptions of educational system, however, one point on which all agree is that it is place where teaching, research and co-curricular activities are accommodated in an organized manner. Education was available only for high social classes prior to World War II.

Read also: Institutions need to facilitate their teachers’ right now

Education in developed countries has taken a complete transformation and that is the only reason of their educational systems being one of the best. The basis purposes of educational system can be divided into following four broad categories:

1. Wisdom and Knowledge

Education is not primarily for enhancing the intellectual level but it is equally important for the training of souls. Institutes of high quality pay equal attention towards morality which helps in not only acquiring knowledge but increases the wisdom of people.

2. Aims of the social order

The educational institutes have a responsibility of enlightening the individuals with the modernized and required concepts of today’s world. Leading educational systems find its guiding principle in the aims of the social order for which it prepares. The value of democracy, justice, liberty, equality and fraternity shall be taught to the individuals in order to preserve freedom and help societies in progressing.

Read also: How to overcome the stress of exam?

3. Love for higher values of life

Students are going to be responsible citizens of the country, therefore, they play a high role towards greatness and success of a country. It is often felt that greatness of a country depends on territory, wealth and communication but that is a false paradise. The greatness lies in love for higher values of life. These high values are taught by institutes including caring attitude for the poor and sufferers, respect for women, faith in brotherhood regardless of any race, caste, creed, color or religion.

4. Training for Leadership

One of the main functions is to train the youth of today in becoming leaders of tomorrow. Students studying in various institutes become an active part of the societies in future and therefore, leadership is needed in profession and public life. Thus, it is the function of higher education institutes in training male and female students for wise leadership positions to take in future.

By;
Daniyal Ahmad

The blogger hails from Lahore and has been writing content for various leading platforms since 2015. Education, Current Affairs, Sports and Social Issues are the expertise of blogger. The blogger can be contacted using his email address daniyal.ahmad71@gmail.com

The entire world trapped in COVID – 19 has somehow ignored the fact that teachers are also part of this world. Governments of the world and educational bodies within Pakistan have stressed on conduct of online classes but nevertheless, teachers being actively involved and still part of this society are also anxious, overwhelmed and stressed. According to a recent research in US, most of the teachers mentioned five common feelings during the lockdown situation; anxious, fearful, worried, overwhelmed, and sad. However, the highest ranked feeling was anxiety. The main reasons of such feelings are that some of their family member or even they can contract corona virus. Furthermore, the economic stress over the entire world has also hampered the financial income of the teachers.

On the other end, the institutes are also not in a position to control all this crisis but they along with the civil society can improve their response for the facilitation of teachers.

Read also: Preparing for the Examination Day

Considering Emotions

Teachers are the ones who encourage and motivate their students but there shall be someone to consider the emotions of teachers as well. The Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence mentions in their research that teaching is more effective as emotions drive them. The primary reason that why emotions matter for teachers is that attention, memory and learning is associated with it. If there are prolonged stress, anxiety and depression then it can disrupt concentration with interference in thinking of individuals. Emotions has its impact on decision making, relationship and physical well-being as well. Teachers who have more developed emotional skills are more contributive to the performance of organization and report less burnout. Therefore, the institutions need to consider and control the emotions of their teachers by providing them with emotional intelligence trainings.

Read also: Dealing with Stress over Exam Results

Well-Being of Teachers

The teachers are anxious during the current crisis situation, however, the institutes are the ones who can consider most about the well-being of teachers. In a survey conducted globally, teachers were asked that how they would like to feel at school, most of the teachers responded loud and clear. The expected feelings were happy, inspired valued, supported, effective and respected. Institutes need to more sensitive to their teachers’ emotional needs today so that when schools reopen, the teachers recognize the importance of their institutes in their lives. There is huge difference in how teachers are being treated and how they would like to be treated. The concerns of teachers were that they need greater emotional balance. Time to adjust online learning, honesty, respect, kindness, flexibility and patience from school administrators were the responses of teachers. These factors need to be considered by institutes and among the top priority were realistic expectations, and working around the clock.

Read also: Easy Exam Preparation tips for the students

Developing Charter

All the institutes, government and governing bodies are putting stress on developing SOPs for conducting classes and conducting examination. However, there is a need to develop a charter for the teachers and considering their feelings. Charter is a document in which agreed upon terms are briefed in black and white. A charter shall be developed which shall be a living document as it will help the educators during the pandemic. The charter shall include sharing of weekly reflections in which ideas and feelings by the teachers shall be communicated. This will help in developing a positive climate by addressing the concerns of teachers. The time has come when all educational institutes has to address the missing link of adjoining teachers’ concerns.

By;
Daniyal Ahmad

The blogger hails from Lahore and has been writing content for various leading platforms since 2015. Education, Current Affairs, Sports and Social Issues are the expertise of blogger. The blogger can be contacted using his email address daniyal.ahmad71@gmail.com

The preparation for any examination is tough and reaching the day on which it all matters is highly important. The day on which it all starts and matters is the day of examination. At this very stage, the students study almost all that they could have studied. Now they have to get themselves 100% ready for the big day. The planning, revising and studying time expires as it becomes the time of action. These all feelings and criticality of the day promotes stress among the students. The students study hard running up to the exams but the most important work is yet to be done and that is the attempting of exam in the examination center. There is a probability that hard work put in during the study may not be reflected through the exam performance, therefore, there are certain tips that one needs to follow so that the performance could be maximized.

1. Take Deep Breathes
   By getting up early in the morning, the students first need to take a deep breath so that they can get relaxed. The stress levels are usually high during the exams day and psychologists suggest that this is the best method for relieving stress. The deep breathing results in slowing down the heart rate with more oxygen entering the blood which communicates with the brain to relax. Sometimes, the students are feeling pain in body or having a headache in morning, deep breath can also help in relieving those pains. It also improves the immunity in an individual as entrance of more oxygen cleans the body and it becomes difficult for the bacteria to enter the body.
2. Eat a Good Breakfast
   Before leaving the home, make sure that one has eaten a healthy breakfast to keep an individual energized. The exam day is full of hustle and bustle with a lot of pressure on mind. Even if the students know majority of the questions, one has to activate the thought process and bring all the concepts onto paper. The breakfast will help in giving energy to the mind and body. The activation of both mind and body are required to perform well in the exam, hence, it keeps one going during the exam. Breakfast helps in maintaining the required level of nutrients, fiber and fats in the body.
3. Don’t be Late
   The entire exam day shall be planned a day before. The discussion and finalization shall be done a day before with implementation only to be left on the day of examination. For instance, the clothes that one has to wear shall too be ready in the night. The student just has to get up, do breakfast and get ready for reaching the examination center. Equally important is the visit made a day before, as student would know what is the way to reach the center, where will be the parking and how much traffic is expected on those specific roads. We advise students to still keep a bracket of 10 to 15 minutes so that any emergency can too be covered in it as it is better to reach early than to be late.
4. Make sure all things are kept
   The students need not to keep a long list of things with them but ones that are required shall be ensured a night before. The day of examination shall only be a following, like a rechecking mechanism similar to a checklist. The essential things that are required are roll number slips, national identity card, registration documents of the vehicle on which the student is travelling and lastly, stationery items. All the stationery items shall be checked once and this checking shall take place a night before so replacement can be arranged of any malfunctioning items. Items like pen, pencils, sharpeners, compass or other items can cause trouble at last moments, therefore, extra items shall also be ensured by the students. Rather than keeping all the items separate, it is better to keep them in a stationery box or bag.
5. Stay Hydrated
   Keeping hydrated is very important. The exams are often conducted in public or government schools where air conditioning facilities are not available. This can cause the students to feel hot and sweat during the exam as they are constantly thinking and are in action oriented position by writing. In addition to that, the water facilities are also compromised as entire hall is drinking water in a couple of glasses available. Therefore, the students need to keep their own water bottle with them. The students can also keep chocolates with them as it keeps one hydrated during the exams and prevents stress or anxiety. As doctors suggest that water and chocolates reduce stress, hence, students need to keep taking these so that they can be healthy yet active during the exam.
6. Do what is right for oneself
   Every student has his/her own way of relaxation prior to examination. This relaxation is often done minutes before the exam so one needs to remain within his own. Few students like to discuss some questions regarding the exam, others prefer to enjoy a giggle among the friends, while some prefer to listen music on their headphones. Everyone has their own way of preparing so one shall get relax for himself / herself but keeping the basics right for oneself.
7. Be Positive
   Lastly, students need to be positive. All the efforts are being put in by the students during the preparation phase and now is the time to perform. Once the examination center has been entered, the students need to motivate themselves and be positive towards their preparation and attempting the exams. Sometimes, positivity can yield tremendous results that go unparalleled and even unmatched for years to come.

By;
Daniyal Ahmad

The blogger hails from Lahore and has been writing content for various leading platforms since 2015. Education, Current Affairs, Sports and Social Issues are the expertise of blogger. The blogger can be contacted using his email address daniyal.ahmad71@gmail.com

Once the students appear for exams, the very next step that is awaited are the results. There are high levels of stress during the preparation and examination system, however, the stress during the results is not considered. Students study for a whole year and appear for the exams. The entire year is revised in matter of days and entire knowledge is tested in space of hours. It would not be wrong to say that yearly performance is evaluated within a space of 2 to 3 hours. Once the students appear for exams, the next critical phase approaching the individuals are the results of those exams. The stress levels are heightened during such times, therefore, following areas shall be addressed so that it can be better managed.

Emotional Intelligence

As students across the country await their results every year, the levels of stress raise along with promotion of anxiety among the students. It is not the result itself but the decisions that are associated with the results. These decisions become the basis of stress emergence. The results are closely associated with immediate and long term decisions. The best approach of reducing the stress levels is that the students shall prior to the results can decide university, course, and career path. Not only this, a realistic Plan B shall also be devised that if the things don’t go as per the planning so there is still something to execute. If still an individual is left with some time, the worrying about friends shall be done and they shall be suggested some useful plans for their future.

Stress can also sometimes enhance the performance level of individuals as it gets better out of the person. Contrary to that, usually stress levels have a negative impact on the health of individuals and is a cause of many other diseases. The side effects do vary for individuals but common features of stress are pain, fatigue, palpitations, muscle tension, low attitude, blood pressures and compromised decision making.

Nevertheless, emotional intelligence is the only way forward as students who do not achieve expected grades find it hard to cope with negative emotions. The day is crucial and pressure is enormous so some individuals really crash. However, cognitive skills, psychological control, and flexibility are the way to go. Emotional Intelligence is required by the students to control their emotions and let stress not disturb them.

Deep Breathes

Psychologists are those professionals who deal with stress related people on daily basis. The people visiting these psychologists experience different symptoms of stress but at the same time, psychologists are the best people in this community for suggesting certain stress management techniques. Once an individual takes stress, their biological and psychological mechanism tends to get disturbed. The chest or stomach can tighten up and a sense of fear is built within these individuals. This promotes more negative thoughts among them and can have worst impacts on health. The best stress management technique in such a scenario is taking deep breaths so that the sensations in body can be calmed down. This will not only result in physical comfort but gives confidence to the individual as well.

Mindfulness Peace

Furthermore, any mindfulness practice can be used for eliminating stress and increasing the positivity. For instance, some of the students can get relaxed by watching a movie, a comedy program or any other activity which they feel as relaxing. It will take away the negative emotions for a moment and this taking away of such emotions will ease the stress levels.

Time Travel

At last, students think about future and get worried due to which they gain stress. In order to avoid, such situations, the students shall travel through time. They should think about past events which were of high value in which success was achieved. Any other similar situation can be thought of in which they emerged as victorious. This will help the individuals by staying in present rather than thinking about what is to come.

Personal Reflection

Sometimes, students fail to perform to the expected levels and hence, it is natural to get worried. There is a continuous disturbance among the individuals and peace of mind can never be achieved. The best possible solution to such a situation is personal reflection but it can’t be practiced directly rather there is a need to follow a top down approach. Firstly, emotions shall be controlled on the grounds of practicing emotional intelligence. Secondly, deep breath shall be taken so that the stress levels are reduced. Moreover, now an individual is ready for personal reflection. One needs to reflect that what has gone wrong and to consider what can be done for improving the future.

For instance, the students might find that anxiety was a key factor in bad performance, revision was poorly constructed, the efforts were started very late and perhaps some of the life events contributed to unsatisfactory performance. The best method of personal reflection can be to discuss the observations with an objective listener. This will be highly helpful as those listeners will build confidence and facilitate in developing coping strategies for those individuals. In a nutshell, individuals themselves can appraise the past events and determine the level of importance to certain practices being ignored previously. The existing situation can be reframed so that a new narrative is built and achieved.

By;
Daniyal Ahmad

The blogger hails from Lahore and has been writing content for various leading platforms since 2015. Education, Current Affairs, Sports and Social Issues are the expertise of blogger. The blogger can be contacted using his email address daniyal.ahmad71@gmail.com

The preparation and sitting in examinations can be extremely tough as it is highly demanding and is one of the targeted approach. The students stretch themselves a great deal in order to keep their preparation at par. There are plenty of steps and milestones that one achieves in order to stage oneself at an appropriate place before the commencement of exams. Once the exams began, students don’t need to worry and they should not be thinking regarding their past. Similarly, once the exams are completed, the results are anticipated. However, the results day is not an easy one as it brings lot of excitement and surprises with it. The surprises can give pleasure and even can be of unwelcoming nature too.

Students have certain queries in their mind that how will they react to different situations on the day of result. It is more like a day of your approval or withdrawal as months of efforts are being either rewarded or dejected. Nevertheless, we provide guidelines for the students on certain queries that they might have in their mind regarding the results. The guidelines will help the students in controlling themselves and responding better to various situations. The commonly asked questions by the results expecting students are as follow:

1. Do I need anything with me on results day?
2. What if I am unable to check through the website?
3. What happens if I do really badly?
4. What if I do better than expected?
5. What if I change my mind about my future studies?

The students are advised to firstly get up early in the morning and start their day in the morning with either walk or some exercise. The morning walk or exercise will ease the mental and physical pressure, hence, the body and mind will be in peace. Secondly, starting the day early will ease the nervousness too as the result usually is announced by 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM. Once the result is made public and students are about to view their results, they are advised to keep their roll number slips with them. The students shall also keep their mobile phones or telephone sets near them as they might need to call someone. These calls could be in case of any emergency or in a situation of happiness and excitement as well.

There are millions of students associated with various educational boards and due to high traffic of visitors, the pressure on the website is increased. This causes the page of website to go down and hence, students are unable to view their results. A situation like this can creep in the nervousness among the students. It can lead towards anxiety and stress not only for the students but for their friends and family too. In a scenario, when result is unable to view on the website, the students can go to various other online platforms that displays the results. Other avenues of such nature can be used so that the result can be viewed in time without causing any physical or mental stress.

The students work really hard for the exams and it is really sad when someone performs badly. There could be numerous reasons of such a performance, sometimes the papers aren’t marked properly or the examiners are very harsh on the students. In both cases, the performances of the individuals drop, however, the student has the choice of requesting the board to recheck their papers. This rechecking can often help the students in turning their performances from bad to average or even good at sometimes. Nevertheless, there could be a situation where the questions were not attempted rightly and a student had actually performed badly. Hence, there is a need for the students to take a decision that whether they need to recheck their paper or improve their grades by either revising the year or attempting the same exam again.

If a student does better than expected, firstly, being a religious follower, we shall advise and encourage the students to thank the Almighty. The parents shall be informed secondly and then the future plans shall be adjusted accordingly. The areas of good performance shall be highlighted and identified as areas of strength. Mostly, right after the exams, one has to opt for a professional degree, therefore, the areas of high and low performance shall be identified clearly. This identification will help in attending a program that is best fit with the key strength areas or aspects.

The plan of future studies can be changed as some students fail to perform as per expected levels, whereas, others perform above the expected level. This can change the way one idealizes their future, hence, the future studies can be planned accordingly. The selection of future studies is a guiding principle for the professional lives of the individuals, thus, it is never too late to change the plan of future studies. Sometimes, the students are uncertain of their future and opt for an international university rather than studying within the country. It is fine to change the course of study as long as it is aligned with the interests. This can help in making the right decision. Lastly, it is about advocating one’s aim of changing the plan so that the support of friends and family can be acquired.

By;
Daniyal Ahmad

The blogger hails from Lahore and has been writing content for various leading platforms since 2015. Education, Current Affairs, Sports and Social Issues are the expertise of blogger. The blogger can be contacted using his email address daniyal.ahmad71@gmail.com

The exams seasons will soon be kicking off in the country, therefore, students need to follow certain strategies in order to prepare themselves for the exams. The most critical part for marking the completion of exams is syllabus coverage. But at the same time, the utilization of time in an effective manner is also important. There are certain different myths that the scoring of good marks in the examination is based on a continuous study for a period of 12 to 14 hours per day. It can be true to the fact that some students need to study a specific topic thoroughly, whereas, it may not stand true in all the cases. Few of the students just plan the completion of topic regardless of any time duration.

While others are of the point that a 12-hour time with complete focus can be done in a space of 6 to 8 hours. The educationists and intellectuals are of the views that it is pivotal to know the level one has studied rather than measuring the productivity with hours of study. Some of the students become highly worried regarding their examination and this attitude is not only due to the exams but the lack of preparation. Even when these students start preparing for the exams, the lack of exposure and planning worries the students. There is no need to worry for the students as we advise them with certain handful tips that can ease the worries of students.

Firstly, the students need to start early as they can always have a window for revision. This is a two dimensional point as the study shall be started in the early part of the day. Secondly, the planning shall be made in accordance with having enough time for the revision of syllabus too. This time can not only help in revision but can be a possible solution for any emergency or uncertain situations. The revision gives a better idea of the current standing of an individual and is one of the best tools for self-evaluation.

Secondly, students shall organize themselves in order to get well prepared and ease on their worries. It means that the students shall plan an agenda of their preparation and this needs to be made in black and white. This can either be an electronic documented or hand written but important is that it shall be in writing. The agenda shall include day wise plan of topics to be covered, how much days one requires to cover the topic, and then an appropriate window of revision.

Once the students have organized themselves, there is now time for some actual study to be done. The concept of outline suggests that any specific topic or a concept can be briefed in point form. This practice shall be used by the students rather than developing long notes as this will help them in finishing the topic in time along with developing an in-depth understanding of the topic too. However, an outline is the last achieved step after thoroughly reading one’s rough notes taken during class and then reading them from the book. Once all the reading is completed and the topic is fully understood, an outline shall be drafted.

We are living in a global community space, therefore, there is no way that one can move forward on his own, hence, we encourage the students to take help from others. If there is a difficulty in understanding or completing any topic, one of the friends, class fellows or tutors shall be reached out. The students make a big mistake of memorizing and then often tend to forget it during the examination. Once the topic is completed, one can take the help from family members too by requesting them to ask questions related to the same topic. Only a sound mind and healthy body can perform well as it has the ability of absorbing pressure too. This points out the importance of taking a decent sleep. It is important for the students to at least take a sleep of seven to eight hours. The failure of good sleep will make one restless and as a result, the performance not only in preparations but exams will be hampered.

In addition to that, students need not to panic and worry. The preparation of exams is a tough procedure itself and then writing long exams is equally demanding too. The students need to practice patience and calamity as it is the only way forward. Once the paper has started, try to attempt those questions that are well-known and then spend time on the ones, where thinking is required rather than wasting time on thinking first and then making it tough for oneself. Lastly, the students need not to panic even after the examination. Students usually try to evaluate themselves after the exams are being conducted. Students need to realize that nothing can change their scores once the process is completed, therefore, realize your mistake, stay focus and perform well for the next time.

The current situation of the country is not much different than what is narrated above as students are looking to either revise or start their exams preparation. The overall scenario isn’t very welcoming but the exams are just around the corner. All the governing bodies have shown an initial direction of conducting the exams right after the holy month of Ramadan. Thus, we advise the students to follow exam preparation tips as discussed above. This can facilitate the students not only in their preparation but will also ensure the securing of good marks in their respective exams.

By;
Daniyal Ahmad

The blogger hails from Lahore and has been writing content for various leading platforms since 2015. Education, Current Affairs, Sports and Social Issues are the expertise of blogger. The blogger can be contacted using his email address daniyal.ahmad71@gmail.com

The stress of exams effects the students in many ways. It is important to manage this stress and find ways of eliminating it. The more the stress is taken, more are the chances of burnout and exhaustion. It not only effects the way of thinking but is also not good for physical and mental health of the students too. The situation can vary from one student to another as for some students, it is a time of recognition and performance. Those students just revise the syllabus to a little extent and ace the exam with securing excellent grades. While there is another type of students whose heart beats increase and they sweat for hours while studying. For these students, revision is like climbing a mountain range. Nevertheless, the world is not lost for these students and they are still capable of making a strong comeback by following certain strategies of overcoming stress.
Firstly, students need to take regular breaks and schedule fun things in between the routine of study. This can be practiced by taking 15 to 20 minutes’ small breaks after regular intervals of every 2 to 3 hours. Even the most intense exam of this world allows you to relax for a short while, hence, one needs to relax as per their schedule. Moreover, the fun things can be scheduled like going out with family for a dinner, spending some time with friends, watching an episode of a series or season on Netflix etc. Things like these will ease the stress of students.

Moreover, the exercise relaxes the individuals and it diverts the attention from one aspect to the other. The examination season begins in the month of March and April, which is a transformation period of cold to hot weather. The weather is not very hot, therefore, the students need to start their day early in the morning so they can initiate the day with a morning walk, running the track, attending gym or even swim. This can be done in any other weather conditions too because it will keep one healthy, fit and active for the study material to absorb. This will help in normalizing the mood of the students too.

Comparison is the thief of joy, hence, don’t always listen to others. It is important to discuss the preparation with your friends and other class fellows but sometimes it can lead towards comparison of preparation. This can creep in stress as one starts to wonder that if he/she is moving in the right direction or not. If one’s preparation is well ahead of other, it can push one into a false paradise and can distract. On the other end, if the preparation is far behind, it gives stress and hence, the preparation plan breaks up. We advise the students to discuss with others but don’t always make it as the basis of preparation.

Furthermore, the level of stress can also be reduced by speaking up to someone. If a student feels that the situation is out of control and stress has got big, try and speak to someone about it. May it be one’s friend, family member, tutor, mentor or any other individual as deemed appropriate by the student. Once the situation is discussed, they either lose their stress by discussing or realize that it is not only they who have stress but all the individuals have different kinds and types of stress. This will help the students in developing a coping mechanism of their own. This can also lead to ending of stress as discussion with someone often gives a level of ease.

Let us further discuss that what can be done best in order to eliminate the stress of exams. One shall take the help of technology. This help can be facilitated by watching a film or any of the TV show which gives you a feeling of getting relaxed. It can be different for various individuals as some like to watch a movie, while others prefer watching documentary, TV show, a funny video, a podcast of a comedian, cricket match or reading books. In addition to that, students can drink any herbal tea or hot chocolate. It is commonly known fact that all the hot drinks are famous for soothing the soul. Although, caffeine shall be avoided.

Sometimes, the stress is also due to long hours of study and students feel hungry. The stress and anxiety caused by exams eliminates the realization of hunger, therefore, students can have an eating break. The mind can’t be feed well if the body is not fed well. On contrary to that, female students can eliminate their stress by baking or cooking something of choice that can bring joy to them. On some occasions, a shower or bath can also be used to relieve the stress level. As important is eating, equally critical is sleeping. Stress often exhausts the students and rather than having a deep sleep, they need small breaks of sleep.

Once the preparations are completed, the stress level can still exist during and after the exams. The post-mortem of the exams shall be avoided as no one can go back to the exams and improve their answers. The errors can be reviewed and same mistakes shall not be repeated again but the process shall stop rather than getting stressed due to those mistakes. The levels of stress can be heightened as the exams are to be scheduled any time soon. The entire country faced a suspension for an indefinite period owing to certain unavoidable circumstances but we encourage the students to thoroughly practice the above mentioned strategies which can help them in eliminating stress levels due to exams.

By;
Daniyal Ahmad

The blogger hails from Lahore and has been writing content for various leading platforms since 2015. Education, Current Affairs, Sports and Social Issues are the expertise of blogger. The blogger can be contacted using his email address daniyal.ahmad71@gmail.com