Fortis Healthcare’s National Exam Helpline

Exams: The word instills a sense of panic and even terror in all of us! However, there’s no escape from them! February and March are times when everyone is gearing up for the final exam or assessment of the year; the much dreaded Boards or entrance exams for further studies. The stress takes a toll on students and their families alike. Many children fall sick, have anxiety attacks, are unable to sleep, and suffer from a low morale due to parental pressure and peer influences. Some refuse to sit for exams on the D-day as they feel unprepared and others are misled to follow potentially harmful stress-busting techniques such as substance abuse.

To express solidarity with our hard-at-work students and to ensure their mental and emotional health, Fortis Healthcare has re-activated its national helpline programme this year as a continuing service for the benefit of the students and parents. For the past few years, it has been an ongoing process and many students and parents have found it useful. The FORTIS NATIONAL HELPLINE number is +918376804102 on which students or parents can call between 9 am to 5 pm with queries related to stress, mental wellbeing, exam tips or even to consult a team of experts and behavioral psychologists. As every year, the exam helpline will also have a counsellor available seven days a week for guiding students and their parents, providing crisis intervention and answer anybody who is struggling to cope with exam-related concerns and needs urgent assistance.

Dr. Samir Parikh, Director, Department of Mental Health and Behavioural Sciences, Fortis Healthcare shares valuable and important, easy-to-do tips to bust exam stress and prepare well:

• It is important that you make a schedule or a regular study plan and stick to it.
• Your study table must be organized and uncluttered, the same goes for your bed to ensure relaxed sleep.
• It is important to stay away from distractions and have a quiet place to study away from your phone, laptop, chat groups or any social media games or platforms.
• While studying, take breaks every 45 minutes to realign your thoughts and absorb what you have read. It’s a good idea to take a walk, talk to a friend, play a game or listen to music.
• You can also try some concentration exercises such as listening to a single instrument while recollecting your thoughts work. Memory pills do not work.
• Highlight important points while skimming. Using flow charts, mnemonics and graphics do help to remember important things.
• If you have difficulty remembering what you read just yesterday, make a revision schedule. Revise on these days – 1,2,7, 15 and 30th of the month.
• If you are anxious, take a self-test and imagine yourself in an exam hall writing your paper.
• Avoid tobacco and caffeine as it is a myth that they help.
• Make sure you sleep for 7-9 hours.
• On the day of the exam, be confident, don’t discuss the subject or the paper with your friends before the exam starts. Do not try to read or memorize anything at the last moment.
• Once you receive the paper, look at the first question and answer it if you know it. If you don’t, move forward. Divide your time based on the marks for each question.
• It is not a race you are participating in. Don’t look at the number of sheets others use. Do not look at the clock too often. You don’t need to be the first one to finish.
• Once the exam is over, it is finished, so no discussions and no analysis with your friends.
• Take a short break and prepare for your next exam.
• Remember, if you need help, reach out and talk to a friend, a family member or call us.

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