These days most undergraduates are getting ready for their End Semester Examinations. They are very busy searching for notes, making short notes, reading books, and studying. They look utterly exhausted, unhappy, moody, overwhelmed, stressed, and confused. Headaches have also become a prominent occurrence in their lives these days. Why do students experience stress during exam periods? It might be because they are afraid of failing the exam, do not have enough time to study, are under pressure from families to perform well and get higher grades, need to compete with others, and so on. According to research findings, high levels of exam stress can interfere with attention, leading to lower performance and reduced working memory. Also, stress and anxiety can lead to mental health problems. Whatever students feel regarding the exams, it cannot be changed. Therefore students must be ready for the exams within the limited time frame.  Therefore, the most important thing is the way of preparing for exams. Usually, different undergraduates follow different methods of studying which are endemic to them. Some undergraduates are used to studying individually while others are used to studying in groups. This method of studying in groups is called “Kuppi” in the subculture of state universities. Nevertheless, it is never too late to establish healthy study habits. As there are many places within the university premises which facilitate studying, it is easy for undergraduates to find a quiet place without distractions. Among them, the Library is an adequate place to study. There are many facilities such as the Internet, books, past papers, etc. at the library and it is always brainy to use such resources provided to you.  Once you find a proper place to study, the first thing you need to do is to plan your study lessons and divide them into study sessions. Then break it down into sub-tasks and work on one task at a time. Also, you need to take regular short breaks while studying and eat enough food. Having proper sleep and engaging in entertainment activities also reinforce your efficiency. Ultimately, following these steps as part of your studying process will help you focus more and gain higher grades. Every runner needs stress to win the competition, and so do the undergraduates doing an exam. Therefore, do not take the exam stress in a bad way, it gives you energy and courage to prepare for the exam in the last days. Take stress simply and it can turn into good if you believe it’s good. Stress will help you to develop your performance, self-growth, decrease emotional exhaustion, and good results. On the other hand, even if you fail an exam, you have the opportunity of reapplying and facing it again. However, viewing exam stress as negative energy will have a negative impact on your mental and physical health. Also, don't assume that if you fail the exam, your life would come to an end because this isn't the last exam you'll have to take in your life. Therefore, avoid taking exams as a source of stress in your journey and meet all hurdles with courage.

Amani Rupasingha

Editor