It is that time of the year again when all stakeholders of the education ecosystem ie. The examination boards, the school staff, the parents and most importantly the young students are at heightened activity levels to prepare for the board examinations. While the examination boards and school staff are conditioned to a routine pre set process, this period and the subsequent journey through the examination time path remains one of the most defining milestones in a student’s academic journey in India. For many families, they represent opportunity, aspiration and upward mobility but to many students, board exams are a harbinger of excessive stress, fear and emotional pressure. . Over the years, such parental fears remain and which is why over the past year, awareness around student mental health has grown significantly. Not only have Schools started strengthening counselling systems and public discourse around exam stress but one of the leading boards of India, the Central Board of Secondary Education ( CBSE) has effective 2026, mandated all affiliated schools to appoint dedicated Counselling & Wellness Teachers (socio-emotional) and Career Counsellors, ensuring a 1:500 ratio for students in classes IX to XII.While all this is welcome, this message is for parents as in my opinion, during the board examination time, the most immediate and powerful influence during this period continues to be the home environment.While I am no one to coach or guide a parent who has reared a child thus far, here are some thoughts to reflect upon :-
1.Creating A Safe and Reassuring Environment
The home must remain a space of emotional safety. During exam season, children need to feel that they can express worry, self-doubt, or fear without being dismissed or judged. Active listening without immediate advice or correction ( especially in the older more complicated age) reduces feelings of isolation. Children should be constantly reminded that their worth extends beyond a mark sheet and that mark sheets are but merely an assessment tool . When they feel understood and supported, they approach preparation with greater clarity and confidence. There is nothing better than a calm and reassuring home atmosphere to significantly lower exam-related anxiety.
2.Focusing On Effort Rather Than Outcomes
One of the most effective ways to reduce performance anxiety is to shift conversations from marks to effort. Children are already aware of cut-offs, percentages, and peer comparisons. Repeating these metrics rarely enhances performance; instead, it often increases fear of failure. Recognizing discipline, consistency, and improvement builds internal motivation. Parents should consciously avoid comparisons with siblings, relatives, or classmates. Every child learns and performs at a different pace.
3.Encouraging Healthy Routines and Balance
Emotional well-being exists in a strong connection with both physical health and everyday activities. Professional burnout occurs when employees work without taking breaks, which results in their complete depletion of energy reserves and their inability to remember information. The necessary components for cognitive performance include adequate sleep and balanced nutrition and short breaks which should be treated as essential elements of work. Parents can collaborate with their children to create study schedules which include specific times for breaks and light exercise activities. The effectiveness of study time increases when students use high-quality study techniques instead of studying for extended periods while battling exhaustion. The examination period requires children to maintain emotional balance which enables them to keep their focus and control their feelings.
4.Managing Post-Exam Conversations
I distinctly remember my mother being tense on the day the marks are released given the absence of the mobile phone those days, waiting with bated breath to see me back home; not because she wants to know the marks but out of fear that I may do some self harm if I were to have performed below expectations in the board. exams often-overlooked source of anxiety occurs after each paper. Immediate “post- mortems” of answers, constant discussions about expected scores, or comparison with peers can destabilize confidence before the next exam. In short, once a paper is done, it is done. Parents should focus forward rather than backward. A simple reassurance that helps children regain composure and conserve emotional energy is all that is needed perhaps
5.Navigating Digital Pressure
This is a new insight. Exam anxiety is currently heightened because students use social media to talk about their concerns and to study predicted question papers while they compare themselves with other students through online platforms. Parents need to support their children in establishing digital limits through gentle intervention during this time. Students can maintain their mental concentration by refraining from unnecessary online exam discussions which also help them avoid last-minute study problems before their examination.
6. Being A Source of Calm and Perspective
Children tend to duplicate their parents’ emotional responses. Children develop tension through observing their parents’ visible anxiety. The demonstration of calmness and patience together with optimistic behavior creates a strong message which enables stability and confidence to develop in children before they take their exams.Positive parenting during exams is not the destruction of expectations; it is learning to strike a balance between aspiration and empathy. When parents replace pressure with partnership and compassion, they will be seen as an enabler for children to perform well. Board exams test academic preparedness, and this preparation is a year long process; not a last minute execution. We must all understand that in India especially, Board exams are not just academic events; they are emotional events and hence how parents respond during this phase often determines whether “ P “ stands for Pressure or “P” stands for Productivity. The former “P” will keep the child in a low state of anxiety leading to action paralysis and the latter “P” will undoubtedly ensure that the child going for an exam is in a state of high motivated energy.(Mr Vinesh Menon, Director General and CEO, ARISE)
