The stress, the anxiety, competition and pressure from parents and teachers can leave us feeling all over the place, and it usually results in all kinds of weird behaviour.
Here are some of the things most of us end up doing before sitting for that big exam.
1# Turning into serial note-takers
We've all been there. Suddenly, everything needs to be turned into notes.
Small pieces of paper with tiny writing and endless pointers litter your table.
A day before the exam, things turn so bad that you even have to have notes for your notes because how else do you keep track of all that information right?
2# Locking yourself in the room to "study" (but doing everything else under the sun)
The books are right in front of you, but all you can think about is that viral Tik Tok dance or that amazing video of that "singing dog" that you have to watch a million times.
You take a break to relax and turn on your phone to scroll for a second.
The next thing you know, a second has turned into several hours, and you've learnt about the history of alien abductions, how to start a hydroponic garden and learnt that there's a rare spider that looks like it's a smirking clown in Madagascar, but nothing is related to your exams.
Die!
3# Highlighting half the textbook
This is a close relative to the serial-note taker (refer to point #1).
You have six chapters to look through, and you buy highlighters to help pinpoint the most critical portions so your brain can absorb them with ease.
At the end of the six chapters, your brain is dead, and your textbook is more lit than your life has ever been.
#4 Turning into an emotional wreck
It's 2am, and you've got what looks like 8 million pages to go.
You start the hour determined to try and get as much information in.
By the first 5 minutes, you start having panic attacks.
This then turns to feelings of self-loathing, hatred for the world, tears of fear and lastly, stress and acceptance that failure is the only option.
Then your brain kicks in and tells you to give it one last shot.
The emotional cycle commences again..
5# Excessively stressing over stationary
When you know that there's no point stressing about all those chapters you did not bother or tak sempat to read, you worry about the small stuff instead.
You check and recheck (and check again) to see if you've brought all the stationary you need for that paper.
"Do I have my ruler, calculator, protractor set? Do I have my 2B pencil? Maybe I should just bring 20 sets... just in case."
In the end, you don't remember anything you revised and also forget the most essential tool for an unsure student. Your eraser!
#6 Becomming extra religious
When procrastination is your first, middle and last name, God is always your best(est) friend when exams are near.
You start your day with a prayer, begin revisions with a prayer, head to the exam hall while repeatedly praying and continue with a short prayer right before opening your exam paper.
Your plea to God, "Just let me pass. I promise to be a better *insert religion here*."
After the exams, all promises are forgotten until the day before you get your results. Prayers fill your life again.
Something everyone goes through
If you laughed or went, "hey, that's exactly me!" while going through the points, take solace in tha fact that you're not alone.Exams are a pain in the bottom but it's also something that most of us just have to go through.
The best way to avoid unnecessary emotional and mental strain is to prep early but if you just cannot do this, all you can do is to tough it out and hope you come out on top!