For most students, the exams are over, and for others, the long marathon is finally nearing its end. It’s that time when you begin to feel a strange calm, just as if a storm has passed. Yet, after days of mental unrest, your mind is still tangled in confusion — should you worry, overthink, or simply let it all go? Feels familiar, doesn’t it?

Yes, there’s no doubt — exams can drive even adults to the brink. For days, your mind barely functions normally because all you can think about is studying, preparing and aiming for the best scores. As a result, sleep takes a backseat, exhaustion sets in and your body begs for a good rest.

Even now, you may be chatting with your friends, exchanging funny gossip, and constantly reminding each other about different questions or answers, but something still makes you anxious. The stress of result day, which, ironically, feels both freeing and unsettling at the same time. This post-exam phase brings with it a mix of relief, reflection and for many, lingering restlessness.

Every day, a new thought seems to pop into your mind, a sudden thought that makes you wonder, “Did I write that correctly? Should I have skipped that part? Why did I even waste time on that one question?” You keep replaying every detail, second-guessing what was right and what went wrong. Dozens of thoughts like these keep circling in your head, especially in the days leading up to the results.

But have you ever thought about how this stressful exam period also leaves you more reformed and wiser?

Just as everything teaches us a lesson, exams also leave us with a bundle of lessons to learn from. Let’s check out what these lessons are, so that we can keep them in our mind for the upcoming academic year.

What exams taught you (beyond the syllabus)

When we think of exams, we usually focus on memorising dates, formulas, definitions and diagrams. But what often go........

© Dawn Young Magazine