After an exam...

Conversations

However, there are a few who can’t really move forward without retrospecting their performance in exams as soon as they come out of the exam hall.

Some people are so obsessed with discussing the paper that they are unable to sit back and focus on the next paper without cross-checking their answers in the previous paper.

“I have many friends who not only double-check their answers but also calculate the rough figure they are going to get for that paper. I don’t take up the next subject unless they finish this task,” says Yamini from Dayananda Sagar College.

However, most students are not comfortable with this habit as they don’t want to suffer from the ‘carry over effect’ of the previous examination.

“Once the answer sheet is handed back to the examiner, things are beyond our reach. So why let them disturb us and affect our subsequent performances? After an exam, I relax for a short time without thinking about anything and take up the next subject for study with a fresh mind. If I come to know of the mistakes I have made, I get tensed. So I do not discuss the solutions, approaches or answers of any paper with friends after an exam,” says Nikitha from Baldwin Women's Methodist College.

Vignesh from PES College is very cautious in this regard. “If I have an important exam the next day, I don’t take the risk of discussing the previous paper. I do it only when I have enough time before the next exam and if there is an easy paper ahead. Frankly speaking, I do examine the question paper and calculate my marks based on my performance. So I just double check the papers of monthly tests and mid term exams as I can get better in the next attempt. When it comes to final exams, once I am done with the paper, everything is over and I don’t look back.”

What do counsellors have to say on this matter?

“There is no harm if students want to cross check a paper after attempting it. Normally, they discuss it with their friends and assess their performance. As long as they can control their reactions, it can be done. For those, who cannot digest the outcome, it is better to avoid such discussions, especially if they have a tough subject ahead. And students should know that their discussion may not be right all the time as it is based on what they remember. So discuss the paper freely but don’t draw a conclusion based on it,” says Dr Vinaya Prabha, a psychotherapist from
Centre for Self Awakening.