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Every exam season, the same type of articles start appearing, like forwarded WhatsApp messages nobody asked for.
“Make a schedule.” “Wake up early.” “Revise daily.” “Stay disciplined.”
And somewhere between all this advice, there’s this silent, slightly sarcastic tone, like a side-eye. You can almost hear it saying: “This is for the serious students… not for you people.”
And I get it. I really do. I am “you people.”
I’m not the one who studies the whole year. I don’t have those neat registers with “colour-coded” headings and perfect margins. I have notes… somewhere. I think. Probably.
And every year, I make a proper timetable with full motivation like I have suddenly transformed into an “ideal good student.” It lasts for… I’d say two days. Three, if I’m feeling ambitious. After that, the timetable just becomes decoration. Very aesthetic, but very useless. (I admit)
Meanwhile, there’s that other category of students. The ideal ones because they follow their schedule, they wake up early, revise on time, have proper meals and sleep on time. They deserve their good grades. No sarcasm there.
But something puts me off. These students talk about exam stress like they own the concept.
“I had a nightmare I reached the exam hall late.”
“I was so stressed I couldn’t sleep.”
Okay, fair. But… what about us? The ones who don’t look serious from the outside? The ones who get labelled before the exam even starts?
And that reminds me of one particular moment last year, I told my friend that I had a nightmare that I overslept and missed my exam. She laughed and said, “Oh you also get nightmares about exams? This is strange!”
Do you really think we’re just sitting there, chilling, completely stress-free? No. We also panic. But in a different way. Our panic usually starts with: “I still have time.” Then: “Wait, maybe not that much time.”
Then suddenly it’s 2 am, we’re staring at the same page for 20 minutes, and our brain decides it’s the perfect moment to think about life choices, random memories and whether we should listen to our favourite Kpop song?
And at this time, we’re a little soft on ourselves. Not always by choice.
Sometimes because if we’re too harsh, our mind will stop working. So, we need breaks, we distract ourselves, we come back again and explore the mess we created, but it’s how we survive it. Sometimes we take a “five-minute break” that turns into an hour of something we didn’t even plan to watch. But in between all that chaos… we do come back. And get stressed about our own stupid act.
But nobody understands it. We do open the books. We do try to make sense of things, but usually at the last minute. We do sit there, feeling guilty, feeling stupid, feeling like we should’ve done better. And still trying. Like you all.
But what never changes are our parents. Despite being upset and knowing that we are doing last-minute studies, they know we are in panic, they show their confidence on us. Like somehow, by the grace of God, we will “shine like a star.”
Though for us it’s slightly unrealistic and pressuring. But also… comforting. Because even when the world categorises us as “not serious,” someone at home still believes we’ll figure it out.
So no, we are not the ideal students. We are not the examples teachers proudly mention in class. We are the crowd, not completely careless, not perfectly disciplined. Just… figuring it out in our own confusing way.
And here is the secret: it is not the topper always remembered, kids like us, the average ones who somehow make everything work, end up being the reason studious students are praised.
Our method looks like procrastination. Maybe it is procrastination, I’m not denying it. But it doesn’t mean we don’t care. Because when we sit in that exam hall, our heart races, we try to recall everything in those last few minutes… trust me, the pressure feels exactly the same.
Our route may look very different… but the goal? It is still the same.
Published in Dawn, Young World, May 2nd, 2026
