It’s that time of the year again! Just as you sit down to study for the next few hours, your all-time favourite movies pop-up on T.V.

You start craving for food at odd hours and coffee becomes your ‘new best friend’.  You guzzle down cans of energy drinks for extra wide-eye time and pop ‘memory pills’ to boost your memory. Ladies and Gentlemen, we welcome you to the proverbially dreaded times in most students and their parents’ lives - The Examination Times! Despite what some advertisers claim, sadly there are no shortcuts to excelling in exams. There is no evidence to suggest that memory pills actually work in improving short-term memory.  Irrespective of the number of energy drinks consumed, your energy levels would dip if you don’t take adequate rest. Drinking coffee does fight sleep, but drowning too many cups may prove counter-productive by making you jittery and hyper. Instead of external stimulants, a little organisation and smart time management can help you sail through exams. Here are a few simple tips: 

• ·         Eat right and take short relaxation breaks between long hours of studies to keep your mind refreshed and sharp.
• ·         Divide your elephantine syllabus into smaller, manageable portions and prioritise the topics on the basis of their importance to keep track of finished and unfinished tasks.
• ·         Maintain a positive and cheerful outlook to keep your spirits high and stress levels low.

With a little effort and dedication, you can minimize stress and perform well in your exams.   Dr Samir Parikh The author of this blog is Director – Mental Health & Behavioural Sciences, Fortis Healthcare