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In our difficult times, every schoolchild is familiar with the fear of exams. Starting from the 4th grade, the child is taught that it will be even more difficult in the future; he is literally intimidated by the upcoming test, imposing a fear of exams.
Parents and teachers treat the results of the Unified State Exam as something extremely significant. The child is afraid of not living up to the expectations placed on him, of upsetting his parents - all this leads to increased anxiety, neuroses, nervous breakdowns, and can even end in suicide.
Schoolchildren and their parents are wondering: what is this phobia called, what are the causes of its occurrence, symptoms and whether there is a treatment. Many psychologists call this the Unified State Exam waiting syndrome.
Fear of the Unified State Exam is observed in 30% of students
Causes of fear
Stress and fear before an exam are normal. But sometimes excitement turns into paralyzing fear. A person forgets everything he knew and taught, feels confused and helpless.
On the Internet, forums are full of phrases: “I can’t help but be afraid that I won’t pass the Unified State Exam,” teachers say that 11th grade is difficult, students shouldn’t rely on luck and luck.
Reasons for fear of the Unified State Exam
What reasons contribute to the emergence of panic fear:
- The habit of thinking negatively. A person imagines a bad outcome of events, paints a picture that he has already failed his exams.
- The unknown. The student does not know the ticket, questions and tasks that he will receive. The student is sure that he will come across something that he did not prepare well.
- Already in elementary school, a child is told: “the Unified State Exam is coming soon,” “you need to prepare for exams,” “how will you pass, you don’t know anything,” “where will you go if you don’t pass the Unified State Exam,” etc. Instead of supporting child, he is driven into a corner, drawing pictures one worse than the other: failure to enter a university, the army, a bad low-paid job and, ultimately, the life of a loser.
- Awareness and fear that the child is alone at the exam. They take away his bag, phone, and some things. Empty table, pen and sheet of paper. And some schools, if not all, also have video surveillance. He feels defenseless.
- The exam format is in the form of a test. If previously children had the opportunity to talk with an examiner who could encourage them, help them calm down and collect their thoughts, then a dry test will not help at all.
Parental influence is a concern
How to stop being afraid of the Unified State Exam: advice from a graduate
Eleventh grader Ivan Vetoshkin is taking the Unified State Exam this year. He knows exactly how frazzled high school graduates are these days. Ivan tells how to overcome fear before, during and after taking the Unified State Exam. His methods seem to be working since he's blogging instead of freaking out.
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The best thing to do before an exam is simply not to panic. But not everyone succeeds. I offer several ways that can help if you, too, were not without panic. The methods have been tested on ourselves and they work no worse than glycine, valocordin and conscious deep indifference. Disclaimer: if you are allergic to the word “meditation”, it’s better not to read further, seriously.
The most effective way not to be afraid before, during and after the exam
Meditation. It always works flawlessly. Our brains are accustomed to constant activity. As soon as he stops thinking one thought, he immediately switches to another. The purpose of meditation is to stop this flow of thought and allow the mind to rest.
To meditate successfully, concentrate on breathing. Then it will be more difficult for you to be distracted by other things and start thinking about something again. That is, again start the process that meditation tries so hard to stop.
Lie on your back, relax and begin to breathe slowly and deeply. If you did everything correctly, you will feel that your body is tense in some places. Tension is usually associated with awkward posture. Therefore, relax your whole body, pull your hands out from under it and hold them with your palms up. Try to completely forget that you have a body.
Now concentrate on your breathing. If that doesn't work, start counting your breaths. It's okay if you get lost. After some time, the score will stop worrying you. That's it: you meditate. Congratulations.
You can stay in this state as long as you like. If your day is very busy, set aside at least 20 minutes for meditation. It is better to meditate with a timer, but under no circumstances allow yourself to think about how much time is left. At first it will be difficult to hold out for 20 minutes. After a week of daily practice it will become easier.
The only contraindication to meditation is lack of sleep. If you sleep four hours a night, imitating Napoleon, meditation will lull you to sleep. Before you meditate, stop getting enough sleep. Otherwise, your twenty-minute timer will only make things worse.
How to calm down before an exam
- Promotion
We are not afraid of the exam, but of the consequences. Therefore, at the first sign of panic, imagine that you have failed the Unified State Exam. Ask yourself: “So what?”
Look, you don’t pass the Unified State Exam, don’t get the required points, don’t get in, you have an extra year to prepare again, you slowly prepare, alternating the process with your favorite hobby, and then pass the entrance exam with maximum points. And look down on everyone, because you acted without hassle, but they didn’t.
Another option: you don’t take the Unified State Exam, go into the army, spend a year there and stop (forever!) fooling around with the military registration and enlistment office. In the army (if you still want to get a diploma), after lights out, you slowly decide where to enroll, return, restore your psyche for a month and prepare with renewed vigor. Or take a couple of online courses and start working right away. Nowadays, studying online is much faster and more convenient.
Turn a scary thought (I won’t pass the Unified State Exam, ahh!) into a non-scary one by spinning it and imagining the consequences.
- A game
If you can’t build a logical chain and imagine the consequences of failing an exam, try “playing” failure.
Imagine that you are an actor on stage, under the spotlight. Your role is a graduate who has just found out that he failed the Unified State Exam. Feel what this graduate feels. Look your fear in the eyes, immerse yourself in it completely. And at some point, having gotten used to it, you will understand: this is not fear at all. He is not scary at all, because you have just played him, experienced him. And nothing happened that could harm you.
Once you have overcome your fear and come out of your role, calmly go and get ready.
- Hysterics
The most radical way, if nothing else helps, is to fall into hysterics. This is very nerve-wracking, but surprisingly calming in principle.
Warn your parents about the impending storm and ask them not to interfere. Drive a peacefully sleeping cat out of bed. Lock yourself in your room, close the curtains on the windows tightly. Just in case, remove valuable items from reach.
And start yelling. I'm serious. Let out all your emotions
Yell, choking on saliva, at the creators of the Unified State Exam, the rector of the university of your dreams, and the cactus on the window. Tell them everything you think. Tearfully complain about life in general. Tear the hell out of anything paper (except a book with options). In short, turn into a madman.
After two, three, maximum five minutes you will get tired and sank powerless onto the bed. You might cry a little (don’t be afraid to cry out loud, it’s normal). Afterwards, you will return to normal life and begin to prepare completely calmly. There will be confidence that any feeling, including the feeling of fear, can be taken out on others at any moment, and it will go away. This means that this feeling makes no sense and you can get rid of it now.
Once you have finally calmed down, make yourself some tea and sit in silence for 15 minutes. You can meditate if you can.
After the second or third time, you can start hysterics with elements of self-irony, portraying a bad actor with a tragic role
Keep it in moderation: hysteria no more than once a week, when all other methods stop working. It’s also better not to go at night, unless you are a resident of a country house without neighbors and a grandmother whose lights out at nine o’clock sharp.
The main thing is to be hysterical consciously and for a specific purpose (to get rid of fear). Don't allow yourself to become hysterical about any other reason - only about upcoming exams. Don't let tantrums become a habit.
Once again: hysteria must be conscious.
How to quickly calm down during an exam
If you can’t concentrate on breathing and meditate during an exam, but you need to distract yourself from tedious tasks, take a break.
Anticipating questions: it is possible and necessary to be distracted during the exam. Few of you and I can sit through an exam for three or four hours without taking breaks or being distracted by anything. If you can, bravo! Most of us are unable to concentrate on one task for more than half an hour.
The most banal and harmless way to get distracted is to think about something pleasant. Artificially improve your mood: remember a pleasant episode from your life or imagine an imaginary one. The main thing is not to get carried away. Especially if half of the tasks have not yet been completed, and there is an hour until the end of the exam.
When the “I can’t make it” panic starts, forget about the fact that there is little time left. Work at your normal pace, as if the end of the exam is still very far away. Then you will maintain a balance between the speed and quality of completing tasks. (And yes, this is the only case when you cannot allow yourself to be distracted by pleasant thoughts.)
What to do after (especially if you didn’t pass)
After the fact, after the Unified State Exam there is nothing to be afraid of. But you don’t realize it right away. You are afraid by inertia, because you are used to being afraid. There is only one way to calm such fear: “including” humility and conscious deep indifference. I scored the required number of points - great! If I don’t get it, then I’ll go to appeal and get it. If I don’t get enough money on appeal, so be it. OK. I'll go have some tea. With a bun.
If you find out the exam results, and everything is really bad, promotion can help you come to terms with the situation. However, you will have to unwind not an imaginary situation, but a real one. It's much more complicated. Most likely, you will be aware, imagine in detail each stage - non-admission, explanations with relatives, the army - and be even more horrified. Don't let this happen to you. Do not present something that is an intermediate link to another promotion. Come first to the final—non-scary—result.
Intermediate results should not interest you: anyway, you can no longer influence the situation. Deal with it.
And, most importantly, remember: those who are afraid of not passing the Unified State Exam do not pass.
How to overcome fear
We need to take the Unified State Exam as a given. There’s no escape from it, so if you can’t change your circumstances, change your attitude towards them.
You need to understand that you spent 11 years learning something, and an exam is just a test of knowledge. The questions are based on the school syllabus and if you prepare properly, you will do well in the exam. Ultimately, if you are not satisfied with the exam result, you can retake it.
It is important to set yourself up for success (go to the mirror more often and convince yourself that you can pass the exam). A positive attitude is the basis of confidence and calm.
Think over your own preparation strategy, discuss it with parents and teachers. Try to create your own preparation method and strictly follow it. Knowing that everything is under control will give you confidence. You can write cheat sheets. It’s not a fact that you will be able to use them, but their presence will give you confidence. Visual memory will also work.
Preparation should alternate with rest
Master relaxation techniques that will help you quickly relieve tension (this can be muscle and breathing exercises). Change mental activity to motor activity, because the best rest is a change of activities.
Unified State Exam rehearsal. All schools have a so-called trial Unified State Exam.
High school students go through the exam procedure in advance. This is done so that they can navigate the exam questions and calculate the time to solve problems. This removes the effect of surprise and reduces anxiety. The student will go to write the Unified State Exam again more calmly. Also, during the trial Unified State Examination, schoolchildren become familiar with the rules for filling out forms, which also helps to increase stress resistance.
Don't forget about proper nutrition, walks in the fresh air and good sleep. Cramming 24 hours a day will not improve your productivity. Discuss bad results with parents in advance. The child must know for sure that for a bad result he will not be punished, but a safety net. This certainty will greatly reduce anxiety.
Myths about the Unified State Exam: what should you be afraid of?
Schoolchildren from the ninth grade begin to be intimidated by the Unified State Examination.
What is this terrible beast, and why should you be afraid of it? How much of the talk about the unified state exam is truth, and how much is fiction? What should we really be afraid of? Schoolchildren from the ninth grade begin to be intimidated by the Unified State Examination.
What is this terrible beast, and why should you be afraid of it? How much of the talk about the unified state exam is truth, and how much is fiction? What should we really be afraid of? In 2002, the Unified State Exam was introduced, with the help of which it was planned to evaluate students' knowledge more objectively. Over the five years of the experiment, many myths have developed around the Unified State Exam. I wanted to understand them, because next year I myself will have to go through this test. Myth 1. Graduates are more afraid of the Unified State Exam than a regular written exam. Like everything new, the Unified State Exam has a terrifying effect on graduates, but, according to experts, it is nothing more than a type of test. It is quite possible to get a high score on the unified exam if you start diligently preparing for it at least a year in advance. As the director of one of the companies involved in preparing graduates for the Unified State Exam, Natalia Borisovna Gollandtseva, told us, people are usually afraid of the state exam until they become familiar with the possible options. It turns out that the Unified State Exam is not as difficult as people used to think it was. Still, to be on the safe side, even schoolchildren with a high level of knowledge come to their educational center. And even more so the guys who didn’t really bother with their textbooks. Myth 2. Unified State Exam tests cannot be solved. In fact, you don't have to complete all assignments to get a good grade. As you know, the Unified State Exam consists of three blocks: A, B and C. The last part is the most difficult, where you not only need to choose and enter the correct answer, but also justify your decision in detail. So, most students don't even try to cope with it. Even teachers are sometimes unable to complete some tasks from this block. An excellent school grade costs less than a hundred points on a single exam, so to get an “A” you need to complete approximately three-quarters of all tasks. Thus, only one student out of ten thousand can earn the highest score. There cannot be many “stobalniks” who fall into the category of geniuses. Myth 3: The traditional exam is easier to pass. The Unified State Exam contains more tasks than the written exam. Therefore, by choosing the first option, the student, in theory, has a greater chance of getting a good grade. I asked my classmates: is it easier to pass the Unified State Exam or a regular exam? Here’s what Masha Lugovskaya answered: “Yes, of course, ordinary. In my opinion, it is best to hand over tickets. You know exactly what to expect and what to prepare for. Therefore, having learned everything well, you feel more confident in the exam.” Agreeing with Masha, Artem Chernov expresses his opinion: “In principle, it’s easier to pass a regular exam. However, personally, I am not against the Unified State Exam, since it allows you to get into a prestigious university with knowledge and not a fat parent’s wallet.” Myth 4. The Unified State Exam “cuts off” good grades in the certificate. Indeed, the grade in the certificate is displayed both in accordance with the result of the state exam and with the annual mark. If there is a difference between the annual grade and the Unified State Exam score by one point, a higher grade is given. If the difference between the marks is more than one point, the arithmetic average of the annual and Unified State Examination scores is displayed, and rounding is done towards a higher score. This means that “C” students will have a “C” on their certificate, even if they receive a “D” on the Unified State Examination. Myth 5. As a result of the Unified State Exam, medals lose their meaning. In the near future, it is planned to abolish the benefits of medalists for admission to universities. Some of the students who received only “A” grades at school were unable to confirm their knowledge on the Unified State Examination. However, the majority of medalists who passed the Unified State Exam did not give any reason to doubt their “clean” grades. Myth 6. If the state exam is unsuccessful, the graduate will have to say goodbye to the desired university. Perhaps this is what they fear the most, because every graduate’s plan is to enter a university. The Unified Exam cannot be rewritten. But the validity period of the Unified State Exam certificate is determined until December 31 of the current year, so after this date you can repeat the attempt to enroll in the chosen university by passing the Unified State Exam. As practice shows, the Unified State Exam is rarely retaken after a year. The head teacher of school No. 62, Tatyana Petrovna Shvyreva, said: “In all the years of holding the Unified State Exam, no one from our school decided to take it again. All students are interested in enrolling in a university immediately after the eleventh grade, and there is no time to waste. In addition, they usually finish school at 17, so if boys don’t enroll, they have to join the army. Therefore, if, based on the results of the Unified State Examination, it is impossible to get into the chosen university on a budgetary basis, students either, if finances allow, enter a commercial university or another university, unless, of course, they have submitted applications to several universities.” Myth 7. Testing results are not always objective and the testers are not always correct. Some tests are checked by experts who do not know whose specific work they are holding in their hands. But there are cases when the results of the state exam are deliberately underestimated or overestimated. There are also cases when teachers who control the process of writing the Unified State Exam create preferential conditions for someone. For such actions they may be held accountable. In addition, if the necessary conditions have not been created for conducting the Unified State Examination or the points assigned in Part C, in the opinion of the student or his parents, are biased, then an appeal can be filed. The first is submitted immediately after the exam, and the second within three days from the announcement of the results. Do students and their parents believe in the objectivity and correctness of the Unified State Exam? As my small survey showed, most students and their parents are confident that the Unified State Exam is less susceptible to corruption than a regular exam. Only part C can be “found fault with.” As for the first two blocks, either the answer is correct or not. Figuratively speaking, the Unified State Exam in Russia is still not firmly on its feet. It, like any innovation, has a lot of shortcomings. Maybe that’s why the date of its widespread introduction was delayed, first from 2006 to 2008, and then for another year. So far, officially in 2009, the Unified State Exam will become mandatory in Russia. The majority of students who took the state exam believe that it should be conducted on a voluntary basis. And all my classmates think the same. There are still eight months before the exams, and I have already stocked up on the necessary books and signed up for additional classes. And what remains?.. To be afraid or not to be afraid of the unified exam is a personal matter. It seems to me that you need to be afraid of the lack of knowledge, this is worse than all the horrors “about the Unified State Exam”.
Information for parents
Parents are simply obliged to support their child during preparation and during the period of passing final exams. Sometimes the child wants to live up to their hopes. The child’s success largely depends on the confidence that parents will not be disappointed, will help and support.
First of all, parents should provide comfortable conditions at home to prepare for exams, and then be interested and provide all possible support in choosing a future profession, and, accordingly, in choosing a university.
Psychologist's advice
Psychologists advise following several NOTs:
- DO NOT bully a child. He himself is well aware of the importance of the Unified State Exam.
- DO NOT give sedatives. They not only do not relieve exam anxiety, but also inhibit thought processes.
- DO NOT show your excitement. The child feels your tension and nervousness, and this is immediately transmitted to him.
- Do not criticize or punish your child for poor results. Life didn't end there.
The main task of parents during this difficult period for the child is to maintain his health and reduce stress as quickly and effectively as possible.
