Re-Exam

Re Exam! Re-do it well! As you head home after completing your exam, you are relieved that the exam is over or maybe you are fretting over the mistakes you’ve made. However at least the exam is over right? But you get home and realize that this relief won’t last too long because a re exam has been announced on account of a paper leak. Your brain starts buzzing with anger. All that effort you applied to prepare for that paper and the mental effort spent on writing it was all wasted. You don’t want to be punished for someone else’s mistakes! Now you will have to put in all that extra effort again! You waited for so long for the exams to get over so you’d finally have the chance to relax but this awful news took away that chance from you! You will have to cancel all your post exam plans and the cycle of anxiety over exams will be renewed. Not being sure of when exactly the re exam will be held will just add on to the pressure and anxiety. The constant worry and sleepless nights will return. No way, there has to be something else that can be done, maybe the news is false? So you immediately call your friends to figure out if the news is true and more importantly, to complain about the whole situation. The truth is, the re exam is going to happen, whether all of us like it or not, but this fact doesn’t really help our frustration, does it? So what can you do to deal with this frustration? And how do you use this second chance that you’ve been given to the fullest? Here are a few things you can do: 1. Write it down There is an obvious feeling of frustration with the situation and an effective way to deal with this frustration is to let it out. Sit down and write down what you’re feeling. To make it easier you could follow this format: Step1: I am angry because _________ _______shouldn’t be__________________. Step2: I would prefer if __________________________________________ _____. Step 3: Here’s what I can do about it ____________________________________. 2. Stop complaining Once you have written down why you are frustrated, you have gotten rid of the frustration and negative feelings that you’ve been dealing with. Now it’s time to stop complaining. Ask yourself a simple question- where is complaining taking me? The simple obvious answer is nowhere, so stop wasting your time and energy doing something that’s getting you nowhere. Avoid conversations that involve constant complaining and if your family is complaining, let them know that it’s not something you want to engage in. 3. Avoid social media Social media can be a mood enhancer but at the same time, it can put you in a really rotten, sulking frame of mind. It is an outlet for rants, while it may benefit those ranting about the issue, it may not help you and might cause you to get angry about things you may not even have thought of in the first place. So avoiding social media would not only save precious time but also ensure that you are in a good mood. 4. Work on improving for the re exam Now that you are saving time and energy by avoiding complaining and social media, you can put those to good use by figuring out what mistakes you might have made in your previous paper and improving on those. You have another chance to do much better than you did last time so do your best to utilize it to the fullest. 5. Remember that are not alone Reminding yourself that you are not the only one going through this process is important. Remember that your friends are going through it too and this sense of solidarity will help you deal with the situation. As for parents, it is important to remember that the environment at home will affect the child’s mood and thus their ability to focus. So making sure the environment at home is calm is very important. For the environment at home to be calm it is essential for all members to understand that complaining should be avoided at all costs. Incase your child complains then you should hear them out, communicate to them that you understand how they feel but encourage them to do better in their re exam instead of complaining in response or shutting the child down immediately. If you make the preparation for the re exam your the focus of energy, your child will follow suit. And lastly, although tempting, it is very important that you avoid falling for rumors. The board will make official announcements that are not going to be circulated through WhatsApp of course, so it is essential to not fall for such false rumors.