Exam Stress in MBBS Students and the Methods Used for its Alleviation

ABSTRACT

Background: Stress is a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or demanding circumstances. Stress level in all aspects of life is growing at an exponential rate but stress level in students, especially MBBS students is alarming. Objective: To find out the level of stress and relieving methods used by medical students before examination. Material and Methods: Observational, Cross sectional study was conducted on 600 medical students using questionnaire. Responses of the students were recorded on Likert’s scale just after the examination. Data was tabulated and analyzed statistically. Results: The mean age of 600 medical students were 20.1±0.9. 143(23.8%) students always felt stressed, 161(26.8%) often, 211(35.2%) sometimes, 37(6.2%) rarely and 48(8%) never felt stressed before examination. 252(42%) reported that this level of stress did not affect their performance in examination while decrease in performance was reported by 198(33%). 150(25%) said that their performance was improved during examination due to stress. 145(24.2%) felt no anxiety during examination, 432(72%) felt healthy anxiety and 23(3.8%) felt unhealthy anxiety level. Conclusion: Majority of the medical students experiences some level of anxiety during exams and used various coping mechanisms to deal with stress. Although some degree of stress is accepted as a normal part of medical training and can be a motivator for some individuals, not all students find the stress manageable.