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In the faculty of science, the midterm season is never-ending. We are literally under constant stress. Don’t you often wish you were on vacation on a tropical island instead of studying in the library pulling your hair out trying to understand a concept? Well it might be interesting to find out that anxiety and stress may lead to better exam grades.

A study published by the British Journal of Psychology in 2012, observed ninety-six 12 and 14 year old students and their anxiety levels. It showed via computer tests that if a subject has good memory, anxiety may lead to better marks. But at the same time, the reverse is true.

However, another study performed by Dénes Szûcs shows that gender plays a huge part in anxiety level. Girls generally experience higher levels of anxiety compared to boys but they still seem to perform equally well on mathematical exams. This means that if it were possible for girls and boys to experience the same stress levels, theoretically girls would perform better since they can cope under stressful situations.

For those of you who are speculating whether or not anxiety really affects your performance, a test performed at the World Journalism Prep in New York shows that anxiety reduction can increase your exam score.

So next time before you take an exam, consider your stress levels and see what works best for you. Maybe you are a person who cracks under pressure, or maybe you work best under maximum stress. Know your strong suits and play along with them.

–Bonnie Tam