‘It’s Not the End of the World’: A 15-YO Shares Her Exam Survival Guide

Exams mean different things to different children. For some, they are simply assessments, but for others, they often carry the weight of expectations, comparisons, and the fear of falling short. 

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As board exams approach, the atmosphere in many Indian homes quietly shifts. Study tables become command centres. Sleep schedules change, and conversations revolve around marks, preparation, and performance.

Behind closed doors, however, students experience far more complexity. The days leading up to exams are rarely just about revision; they are about navigating a storm of emotions — anxiety, hope, self-doubt, determination, and sometimes even panic.

For one such student preparing to appear for her Class 10 board exams this year, it is truly a myriad of emotions. Prisha Kawrani, a 15-year-old student of Apeejay School, Pitampura, shares how deeply exams can take a toll on mental health.

“It’s a mix of everything. From excitement to nervousness and anxiety, I feel all these emotions, but what overpowers is the panic of exams,” she tells The Better India.

The mental load behind the marks

Prisha shares that for her — and for most people in her age group — the stress feels continuous. However, with the right support from family members, teachers, siblings, and friends, navigating the journey of exams becomes possible.

“Luckily, my parents don’t put a lot of pressure on me. They are very supportive, and even my teachers are ready to solve all my doubts along the way,” she admits.

For her, the biggest challenge is not expectations but time management. “I am not really good at that. I find it hard to follow a schedule or a set timetable.”

While the mental load can feel overwhelming, she has found comfort in spending meaningful time with her parents — small activities that help take her mind off overthinking and exam stress.

“To calm myself, I talk to my father because he is like a comforter, he lifts my mood with jokes, and he tells me to chill. I also listen to a lot of music; that also helps me calm down,” she shares.

Prisha believes that the art lies in balancing exam preparation with activities that make one feel lighter when stress becomes overpowering. She suggests:

• Going for a walk with your family and having a meaningful conversation

• Listening to music or dancing

• Maintaining a balance between extracurricular activities, studying, and social life

• Taking a small power nap to feel rejuvenated

She adds that while students often focus extensively on one subject and feel overwhelmed, managing schoolwork, projects, and assignments can also become tedious.

“Doing schoolwork together, as the teacher assigns it, will reduce the overload when multiple submissions are required,” she adds. 

What exam stress can do to a student?

Exam stress does not remain confined to thoughts. It affects sleep, focus, and emotional balance. Many students report feeling restless at night or mentally exhausted despite hours of studying.

Prisha recognises how crucial rest is for her performance. “I am not someone who can pull all-nighters. I need my five hours of sleep before an exam,” she explains.

Overworking, she believes, only leads to burnout. “Don’t overwork yourself, that jumbles up stuff in your head.” 

In recent months, she has consciously tried to approach exams differently. From trying meditation to limiting phone usage immediately after waking up, she has found small but helpful changes.

“I’ve started going with a very calm mindset with an affirmative thought of doing my best. That’s really helped me,” she says.

The shift from panic to calmness has not eliminated stress, but it has made it manageable.

A message for parents and students

Perhaps the most powerful part of Prisha’s reflection is her message to adults. She believes that many teenagers are silently juggling more than what is visible.

“We’re already going through a lot — school pressure, tuition pressure, and extracurriculars,” Prisha says.

She wishes more parents would simply focus on supporting their children during this emotional phase of their lives.

“It’s not the end of the world if I get bad scores in a single exam. You can just be there for me, tell me I’ll do better next time and not make me feel bad about it.”

For fellow students who may be feeling overwhelmed, her advice is simple yet profound.

“The world does not end with a bad score; you can always do better. It’s a continuous learning process.”

She believes that marks are a part of life and can guide students in understanding where they stand and how they should move forward. However, they should not overpower one’s entire life. Studying is important, she emphasises, but stressing excessively and forgetting to live fully is not the right way to approach it.

In a season where marks often seem like everything, her words serve as a reminder: exams matter, but they do not define a life.