A lot of students get confused between Examination Pressure vs Stress. Both parents and students need to understand and appreciate the difference between stress and pressure. From a Psychologist point of view, pressure can be healthy and beneficial; it creates motivation and the desire to excel. Additionally pressure is what makes a lump of coal into a diamond. Pressure ensure that the student is motivated to excel, and doesn’t have time to be idle, and enjoys his or her free moments of rest and recreation. Pressure to excel makes a person perform. The term “peer pressure” i.e. when you find that a friend is getting better grades than you pressurizes you to perform better. Think of runners standing at the starting line of a race. Each one of them is under pressure to run faster than the others, this pressure makes them excel.
Stress on the other hand is negative, and manifests itself as depression, if it continues to prolong itself. Stress can be defined as “a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or demanding circumstances.” Stress has connotations of negativity; and leads to a do or dies situation. One of the best definitions of examination stress is “Stress is defined as an individual’s response to pressure. A small amount of pressure can be useful to keep you focused during exam time. However, for some students, when they experience too much pressure for a long period of time, it becomes stressful and exam preparation and study seems impossible.”
The question that comes to mind is why do students (and their parents) undergo examination stress?
While exam pressure is expected and normal, in fact if a student is not under pressure prior to an exam that should be a matter of concern. The reason for pressure can be as simple as memorizing and learning a very large amount of course material, and being unsure of what will be in the examination paper. Students have this fear that if they leave a particular chapter or topic of the course material, the paper may just cover that. The other reason is that the outcome of the examination will alter the path of their future life.
Pressure levels and the ability to handle pressure vary from individual to individual, no two people are alike and neither is their ability to handle pressure.
When Exam Pressure is replacing Exam Stress becomes a concerning matter.
Both parents and the students need to watch out for these symptoms of examinations stress, and if they notice they symptoms of stress then they need to engage in stress release activities or if necessary talk to an experienced psychologist or counselor. The symptoms of examination stress are
Difficulty in sleeping
Difficulty in waking up in the morning
Low Motivation levels to start a new chapter, new subject etc
Procrastination
Not socializing with friends and family
Being nasty and unpleasant to parents, siblings and others at home
Mind going blank prior or during an exam
Feeling sick, or wanting to vomit, or rapid heartbeat, cold and clammy hands, unsettled stomach
In conclusion pressure is what makes a lump of coal into a diamond, but when the pressure becomes stress, it is a matter of grave concern for both the parents and the student. One needs to know the difference between Exam Pressure vs Stress.
