India is considered to be a hub of competitive examinations. Every year, millions of students across the country sit for life-changing examinations such as CUET, NEET, JEE, CLAT, UPSC, and many more. Such exams are considered to be either the career “makers” or “breakers”.

Many students tend to compromise their mental health for the sake of clearing these exams. As a result, they begin to engage in high-risk behaviours like substance abuse and adopt unhealthy lifestyle choices like binge eating and irregular sleeping patterns. Should the achievement of academic or career goals come at the cost of one’s sanity? Of course, not!

Maintaining a healthy balance between one’s mental health and career aspirations is essential for attaining long-term success. We will explore the factors that affect a student's mental health while preparing for competitive exams. Here are some insights and effective strategies to strike a balance between one’s psychological well-being and academic pursuits.

Factors Affecting Mental Health While Preparing for Competitive Exams

Peer Pressure

Students appearing for competitive exams frequently suffer from intense peer pressure. They compare their test scores, practice tests, and preparation strategies with other students. They define success based on their peer group scores. As a result, they develop anxiety and depression which impacts their mental and psychological health.

Parental and Teacher’s Expectations

Sometimes, parents and teachers may show unrealistic expectations from the students. They may also make unhealthy comparisons by gauging the child’s scores with the scores of some topper students. This may shake a student’s self-esteem. As a result, they develop self-doubts which may ultimately lower their academic performance.

Self-Expectations

Many learners set high academic standards for themselves. They aim for perfectionism and set unrealistic goals. They hamper their sleep, diet, and leisure and study for long hours. In these circumstances, they may not score according to their expectation. Thus, such students develop negative self-worth and may engage in behaviours like self-harm and suicide ideation.

Past Experiences with Failure

Some students may develop low achievement motivation because of repetitively experiencing failure in the past. They have constant feelings of fear of repeating past mistakes. As a result, they give up and do not want to try. Also, students may not be intrinsically motivated. Many learners equate their success with good marks, not with the efforts they put on. They may also suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) due to the unhealed trauma from past failures.

Poor Time Management

Many pupils suffer from poor time management. This is because they procrastinate a lot or may poorly plan their study routine. They may learn by cramming, not understanding. As a result, this creates a feeling of unpreparedness and high levels of anxiety impacting the mental health of students. Many students also develop high functioning anxiety which could further develop into Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

Solutions to Balance Mental Health and Competitive Exams

At Student Level

Students can adopt some strategies that may help them maintain positive psychological well-being while studying for competitive exams.

• ·         Normalising regular breaks while studying
• ·         Focusing on the efforts and the process, not just the results
• ·         Dividing the syllabus into manageable chunks and studying by the method of time-blocking
• ·         Using the 80/20 rule (20% of our effort reaps 80% of our results)
• ·         Adopting health-enhancing behaviours such as eating nutritious food, sound sleep, and regular exercise
• ·         Avoiding excessive discussion about their preparation with peers

At Parental Level

The role of parents is significant in child’s life. Parents should first understand that every individual is unique and is born with their capabilities. Further, they should adopt some positive measures.

• ·         Not comparing their child’s scores with other learners
• ·         Making children understand that it is completely normal to fail or to score poor marks
• ·         Spending quality time with the child
• ·         Cultivating mental resilience and psychological flexibility in the child after poor performance in a test
• ·         Having awareness about the child’s interests and passions and supporting their career decisions

At Educational Level

Addressing the dilemma between prioritising competitive exams and mental health requires a holistic approach. The educational sector should do its bit in this context.

• ·       Focusing more on skill-based assessment rather than traditional standardized examinations
• ·       Not considering exams as the only criterion for selection in higher educational institutions
• ·       Prioritising on individual potentialities and talents
• ·       Designing the question papers in accordance with the NPC (Normal Probability Curve)
• ·       Creating a more inclusive and mentally healthier educational environment

Conclusion

In a nutshell, competitive exams are really important for career decisions. But, putting one’s mental health at stake for clearing them is not worth it. Competitive exams can only be cleared if one’s mental health is sound and grounded. Every student has diverse learning needs. Parents and teachers should accept and celebrate individual differences.