By Devika Kataria

Most of us experience butterflies in our stomach just before answering an exam. Some students even refer to exams as a battlefield. So, we got a brave young soldier to reveal how she coped with exam anxiety and emerged victorious in her Class XII board exams in 2008. Her tips range from useful to quirky!

Do or die!
Most of the academic year passed with both laughter and cribbing, about teachers who were stingy with marks. I juggled between school and a coaching institute. Since I aspire to become an engineer, my workload almost doubled!

I not only had to score good marks in the board exams but also had to clear the competitive exams for engineering with a good score. As if boards weren't a handful, already!

The last two months before my final exams were the worst; the realisation that I still have a lot of syllabus to cover finally hit me like a punching bag! It was a do-or-die situation.

'B' positive, not just my blood group
A positive approach during exam time kept me going. It's a must to keep reminding yourself that you are in control, even if you are not!

Hey, wassup?
Whenever I felt bogged down, I phoned friends; they were available even in the wee hours. You'd be surprised to know how refreshing it can be to talk to people sailing in the same boat as you. However, I only talked to friends who belonged to the same league as me. Intelligent students can be very intimidating; even their doubts smoothly sail over my head!