The disaster called examinations

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Hello everyone. Let's talk about exams today. 

I gave my First MB exam in July, 2019. After completing one year in JMCH we were all set to sit for our final examinations. Anatomy, physiology and biochemistry, these three subjects are taught in the first year. We got a month as our study leave but I came home for 15 days. When I returned back to hostel I could feel the exam pressure building up. Covering everything seemed impossible. The syllabus is huge and it takes a lot of effort to memorize. Sometimes I spoke to family and friends and they tried to help me as much as they can. Before anatomy exam I almost stopped going to the dining hall to get my food and would survive on biscuits, coffee and instant noodles. Sometimes I studied and at the same time cried because I was not able to finish the syllabus. The practicals were tough too. I could only manage to sleep for 2-3 hours before heading out for the exams.  And after coming back with all the tiredness of the day I could not even manage to get some rest and would have to start prepping for the next day.

Those days were very stressful. I can never forget the pressure I put on myself during those days. Not only it was harmful for my body but also for my mental health. Sometimes I ask myself whether it was really necessary to be so harsh on myself. The answer is no. We should be serious about exams but we should also take care of ourselves. It is easy to preach about the do's and don'ts during exam time but when the pressure sets in we cannot escape. I never study regularly and it is the only reason which leads to so much pressure during exams. In the beginning of every semester I always think that I will study everyday but I fail to do so. And after some months the same vicious cycle repeats. It is unavoidable and is bound to happen.

We will have to face many examinations in our lifetime. Each one will require hard work and dedication. But we should make it a point never to lose ourselves in the pressure. We often hear how students resort to taking adverse steps when they're not able to face it. It is important to question whether an exam is more important than our life and our health. No it is not. Of all the exams I have given till now the ones in med school have been the toughest. I could survive the pressure only because I had people who supported me and guided me in every step. After this pandemic I think we have understood that nothing more is valuable than our health. Not only physical but mental health and emotional health are equally important. And we all know how reluctant we are to talk about mental health issues due to the associated stigma. I have made it a point to take exams seriously but not to that extent that can harm my mind and body. We think that being in med school is very prestigious but we don’t know that there is a huge amount of hard work required. There are not many things which we can create on our own. We have to study, we have to understand the concepts because we are dealing with lives.

Thus I want to say that we should not take too much stress when it comes to exams. We should study nicely, prepare a routine for those days and follow it, staying hydrated is important. It is also very important to talk with family and friends. The goal is to successfully pass the exam not to lose ourselves in the process.

Thank you for reading. I am a student and I know how difficult those examination days are. I hope this will help you. Thank you.

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