Matric pupils need to prepare well in advance for their exams to ease their anxiety.
It is wise to always start your paper with questions you feel comfortable with and time yourself per question. Picture: iStock
Amid prelims season, matric pupils might experience study fatigue and exam stress, causing more problems like failure.
Speaking to The Citizen, clinical psychologist Evelyn Nagel said the main concern of stress in pupils is to pass matric.
“Getting into the university of their choice, societal pressure and family expectations are the concerns about the impact of not passing,” she said.
The South African Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag) said: “Stress is a natural bodily response to an external stimulus that evokes a sense of threat to us. Our bodies become alert, our muscles tense, our breathing becomes more rapid, and our heart rate increases.”
Matric pupils need to prepare well in advance for their exams to ease their anxiety.
“Most matrics feel unprepared and need to realise that the marks they got for preliminary exams can be used to show them which subject matter they need to prepare more for,” said Nagel.
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“I also believe that they need to be aware that they have learned most of the information before and that they already have something.”
Pupils can also contact a Sadag counsellor for free by sending a WhatsApp to 076 882 2775. They can also live chat with a counsellor by visiting the Sadag website.
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