With second term coming to an end, most schools have either started exams or will start in the next few days. Although exams have existed for centuries and will continue to be done by learners for many more years, most students continue to get nervous when the examination period approaches. Others completely change their lifestyle in preparation for exams.

Students speak out

Rubwa Munyaneza, a student at Groupe Scholaire II Kimironko who is set to begin his exams today, says if he has an exam in the morning, he normally spends the night before reading.

"I work extra hard during such times and if it wasn’t for a few avoidable mistakes in the exam, I would be sure to score above 70 per cent in each subject,” Munyaneza explains.

He says he does not worry burning the midnight candle during exam period considering that it is for a short time.

"I stay up late for a few days well knowing that I will compensate for the lost sleep during holidays,” Munyaneza adds.

Unlike Munyaneza whose headache is a result of lack of enough reading, Obed Niyonkuru, a senior three student at Groupe Scholaire Rugando who will be starting exams next week, says his major worry is the distance from home to school and vice versa.

Niyonkuru, who usually walks from home to school and back,   says, during exams, he has to either find transport to school or wake up very early in order to be at school in time for the exam. This means if he had not read in advance, last minute efforts may yield nothing.

 For Oreste Mucyo, a student at ADB Nyarutarama, exams are part of school life and need not cause panic. All he does is "reach school early and be home in time to do final revision for the next day’s exam.”

Just like Mucyo, John Muhire, a primary six pupil at Mere du Verbe Remera, is not intimidated by exams. And he has a secret to that. 

"I always read weeks to my exams which gives me the necessary confidence I need to pass any papers,” Muhire says.

Parents’ role

Although students are at the forefront of the examination battle, parents and relatives are usually dragged into the drama.

Grace Rukundo, a parent residing in Kabeza, Kigali, says during examinations she ensures that her child does not report to school hungry.

"This period is different from the other days of the term. I normally wake up my daughter to take a heavy breakfast before rushing her to school,” Rukundo says.

Similarly, other parents have to adjust their work schedules to be closer to their children.

Andre Mbonigaba, a businessman in Kicukiro, does not allow his children to stay awake for long hours at night during exams period.

"This is not the time to watch television or movies endlessly. Therefore, emphasis should be put on revision and having enough rest before the paper,” explains Mboningaba.

Examinations, for some parents, mean maximum generosity. Honorine Umutoniwase of Nyabugogo says when time to do exams approaches, she clears all the school dues and gives her children everything they ask for.

"I do this because I don’t want them to give me excuses for performing poorly at the end of the term,” Umutoniwase says.

However, much as parents tend to support their children as much as they can, especially during examination time, some students still fail to get very impressive grades. This, experts say, is because of mainly poor preparation which, in some cases, leads to exam malpractices.

‘No magic’

Emmanuel Muvunyi, the deputy director general in charge of examinations at Rwanda Education Board, says students should not fear exams since they focus on areas that were tackled in class. He insists that examinations are just part of continuous assessment that learners are supposed to get used to.

"At the beginning of the term, there is a certain level of understanding which the student starts the school with and this is expected to change at the end of the term, that is why this assessment is necessary,” Muvunyi explains.

He adds that students ought to understand that the key to passing exams is thorough preparation.

"Whether it is national exams or term exams, it is all about preparedness,” he adds.

On superstitions like eating the head of a fish or taking milk and honey prior to an examination, Muvunyi rubbishes such beliefs saying the only solution to passing exams is hard work.

He, however, acknowledges that good feeding is likely to contribute to good performance but not the superstitions.

"A healthy body is a healthy mind and research has established that learners who feed well perform better than those who eat poorly,” Muvunyi says, adding that that is why there is a government-backed feeding programme is schools.

Other experts encourage students to embrace counselling to deal with exam pressure.

Damien Ntaganzwa, deputy director general in charge of child development and management at REB, says: "Prior to any exam, students are usually counselled on different aspects and they should endeavour to attend regularly.”

He, however, says panic is at its peak during the national examinations.

"The national examinations, being more decisive, usually put students on much tension but with enough preparations there is nothing to fear,” Ntaganzwa adds.

Revising for exams

Theophile Habiyambere, the dean of academics at Gashora Girls, argues that although revision helps in passing exams, some ways of revising are less effective.

"Reading notes over and over is less effective but it is more meaningful for a student to interact with material before the exams start,” Habiyambere says.

He explains that good revision requires starting early with a reading time table that provides approach to past papers.

"You should answer questions from past papers, identify key points and evidence based examples,” he adds.

Alex Kansiime, an Economics teacher at Wellsprings Academy, says coping with examination pressure also depends on the school whether one goes to a day or boarding school.

Kansiime advises that teachers and parents should all contribute to the success of the student through effective communication.

"There is nothing new with examinations. Day scholars should be assisted by both their parents and teachers to increase their confidence,” Kansiime says. "For boarding schools, this role is hugely placed upon the teachers’ shoulders because they fill the gap of the students.”

How to deal with exam pressure

Benard Tuyishime, a student at University of Rwanda

Exam pressure can best be diffused by good preparation. The problem is that most students want to read at the last minute which causes panic. In fact if you have read in advance, you can afford to relax in the last one or two weeks.

Agatha Katangata, an engineer at Algorithms

Exam pressure has to do with one’s psychological state. Students with low self esteem will always be under unnecessary pressure during exams while those who are confident will not panic even if they have not prepared well.

Fredrick Shema, Nyarutarama

It is very frustrating to see a student reading a few days to exams. Most of them try to read so many subjects at ago yet it is practically impossible. I encourage every learner to start reading on the first day of the term.

Shakira Niyigena, student at Group Scolaire Notre Dame du Bon Conseil School

There can never be anything called stress if someone has prepared sufficiently for exams. Unfortunately, most students prefer to spend most of their time on less important things like watching movies. That must be changed.

Mico Ayubu, a student at Mount Kenya University Kigali

Students need to have a timetable and follow it religiously. That is the only way they will avoid last minute panic. Parents and teachers should also guide their students all the way until they have sat their exams. Leaving students unsupervised is not helpful.

Eliaza Ndayisabye,a teacher at Mother Mary Kibagabaga

As exams approach, students need to adjust a few things if they are to excel. For example, they should avoid bad company and concentrate on their books. They should also approach their teachers for clarification on some unclear concepts.