How to start your day?

TIPS to beat EXAM Stress

Sleep well. A good sleep of six to seven hours will consolidate memory and will enhance it automatically

Proper diet and workout on a daily basis can work wonders. A balanced diet is essential

Get rid of anxiety and frustration

Meditation is a sure-shot way to improve concentration levels and thus memory

Get outdoors. Students must have at least 15 minutes of outdoor activity even during exams. It helps relax

If stress really gets to you, talk to your parents or teachers.

Never forget that there is life after exams.

Exam blues are here

It's that time of the year when stress levels are heightened in families with school-going kids. Stress during exams is common. But the key is to see that it does not spiral out of control. Students preparing for SSLC and PU exams have started consulting psychiatrists and counsellors unable to cope with the stress. Sleeplessness, headaches, anxiety and poor memory are some of the symptoms associated with exam stress students as final examinations near. To beat the stress, many students in this education hub in the state, have started approaching psychiatrists here. The practice of students consulting psychiatrists on the eve of examinations has increased over the years in this region.

Increasing pressure to score good marks in exams, parental and peer pressure to excel has increased stress levels among students, says Anil Kakunje, associate professor in psychiatry, Yenepoya Medical College. Anil, also the secretary of Mangalore Psychiatrists Society, says five years ago on an average around two students would approach him between January and March, the exam time. "But for the past few years, I have been counselling at least six students every day, during January-March," he adds. Most students today, he explains, are unable to concentrate on studies due to mobiles, computers and their obsession with social networking sites,

There are nearly around 30 psychiatrists in the city. PUC and SSLC students are so much involved in preparing for exams and many a times they are not seen out on play grounds, like undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Children today don't have time for extracurricular activities which decreases stress levels tremendously, said Dr Safeek AT, professor in psychiatrics of Father Muller Medical College.

On Monday, Dr KS Madhava Rao, a psychiatrist, got a call informing him of a II PU science student attempting suicide unable to cope with exam pressure. Madhava, also the president of Karnataka State Psychiatrists Association, said that the student had consumed tablets in a bid to end her life.

He says most PU students who approach him are from science stream. "Parents fail to gauge the aptitude of their children. The pressure to perform well weighs heavily on them. During counselling many science students who are depressed tell me that they will not take the exams. The next year, they will shift to arts or commerce," he adds.

During exam period, Rao has at least three students who consult him every week. The rest of the year, he sees just about two students a month.

Psychiatrists have another piece of advice for troubled students. Consult them at the earliest. Don't leave it for the nth hour. "Many students approach us just a few days prior to the exams," says Dr Satheesh Rao, Department of Psychiatry, KS Hegde Medical Academy. "We provide medication to them as they come very late. It's not easy to cure their disorders within a short period of time. If students come earlier, instead of medication, we can do psychotherapy and counselling," he explains.

Shrinivasa Bhat, another psychiatrist, says his clients approach him to enhance their memory and concentration. "Most students, who consult me are academically good. They want to improve their memory. But most students suffer from insomnia and headaches during exam," he adds.

Last Minute Tips

As engineering aspirants across the country gear up for IIT-JEE on April 8, We offer some last-minute tips on how to crack the test

With over five lakh students expected to appear for the IIT joint entrance exam this year, the competition is going to be tough. So how do you prepare yourself for a stellar performance?

Right Revision

Says Shubham Mehta, who secured a second rank at the IIT-JEE 2011, "Though you should try and keep in touch with every topic, the focus at this stage should be on organic and inorganic chemistry. Mathematics and physics are conceptual and devoting as less as an hour or two to these subjects every day should be fine. Make short notes and highlights of chapters, concepts and formulas." Mihir Patel, a fourth year electrical engineering student at IIT Bombay, adds that this is the time to revise the complete syllabus starting with concepts you understand relatively well. "Don't leave any topic. Compile your frequent errors; understand why they occur and come up with strategies to avoid them," he says. Additionally, solving a few problems from your notes, study material and last year's JEE paper will be of help. Pay equal attention to all the three subjects by devoting specific hours during the day or entire days for each of the subjects. Make mental clues of all your concepts so as to help you retrieve them quickly during the exam. You may also revise chapters from your class XI books to brush up on various concepts.

Exam Time

IIT-JEE is a competitive exam and includes both easy and tough questions. So if you find a question difficult, remember a majority of students would feel the same. Advises Mehta, "Keep the order of the subjects you are attempting the same as the one you are used to attempting at your coaching class/practice hours. This will ensure that your mind is at ease during the exam. Don't spend more than five minutes on any particular problem. Try to complete the chemistry section within 30-45 minutes, physics within 45 minutes to an hour and the mathematics section within an hour-and-a-half ."

Says Tejas Shyam, a fifth year metallurgical engineering and materials science student at IIT-B , "If you feel comfortable, solve the questions that carry more marks first (even among the problems you find easy). This will maximise your attempt. Do not try too much of guesswork, lest you garner negative marks."

Subject-Wise

Maths:

Draw diagrams especially in co-ordinate and Calculus related questions . Focus on quadratic equations and expressions, complex numbers, probability, vectors, matrices in algebra; circle, parabola, hyperbola in co-ordinate geometry, etc. Use method of substitution and elimination in trigonometry and conic sections if you don't know the correct way. Try deriving all the important properties of conic sections without consulting a reference and make a comparison table to refer to on the last day. Try deriving the derivatives and integrals without consulting the reference

Physics: 

Most of the concepts here are intuitive and difficult to forget. Follow the concept until the end. Revise modern physics, mechanics, fluids, heat and thermodynamics, waves and sound, capacitors and electrostatics, magnetics, electromagnetic induction and optics thoroughly. Avoid lengthy questions

Chemistry: 

Organic and inorganic chemistry: In inorganic chemistry, focus on qualitative analysis, co-ordination chemistry and chemical bonding. Make a mapping between name of the reaction, species/ functional groups that occur as reactants and those that occur as product , catalysts and reaction conditions. Understand the arrow mechanisms. In physical chemistry, pay attention to electro-chemistry , thermodynamics and chemical equilibrium. Beware of calculation errors Questions with no negative marking must be attempted. Mark the answers on the OMR sheet after every four to five attempted questions. Remember, JEE is about quality and not quantity. You can make the cut by performing well in at least two subjects and securing the minimum cut-off marks in one.

Mental Make-Up

You have done the best you could, now is the time to be confident and calm. Don't stress over what you don't know, but be sure of what you do.

Remember to go for regular walks or get at least an hourlong exercise each day to refresh your mind. Advises Gautam Barua, director, IIT-Guwahati : "Do not listen to anybody other than your inner self. Be confident of your abilities and don't get distracted by random advice about the pattern of questions or the likely questions. Give it your best shot and be satisfied with it."