UoB Directs Students on Confidence, Healthy Food and Exercising During Exams 

Within the “Get Ready for Exams with Us” Program 

UoB Directs Students on Confidence, Healthy Food and Exercising During Exams 

The Associate Professor in the Department of Physical Education at the University of Bahrain (UoB), Dr. Ina’am Majeed, called on students during the exam period to “take care of the athletic, nutritional and psychological aspect, by eating healthy food, sleeping well and exercising regularly.” 

Dr. Majeed stated that “Oatmeal mixed with milk, a few pieces of fruits and honey provides the body with the energy needed to start an exam at half-past eight in the morning because it is one of the substances that digest slowly and gives a feeling of being full for a longer period.” 

Also, Dr. Majeed called students to drink a cup of tea or a cup of coffee before taking the test, stressing not to drink too much of them, and staying away from eating or drinking dairy products for those who have a problem digesting lactose, explaining that this will lead to flatulence, which is irritating, in addition to staying away from baked goods that contain yeast, especially at night. 

This came during the participation of Dr. Majeed in a virtual program entitled “Get Ready for Exams with Us” organized by the Deanship of Student Affairs at UoB within the programs of the Guidance and Counseling Department for this semester in preparation for the final exams. 

Dr. Majeed stressed the importance of eating a small quantity of nuts to get a quick source of protein, and fruits such as apples or bananas to provide the body with the necessary energy. In the same context, she said: “There is no harm in eating a piece of chocolate or a cake, but it should not be considered the main meal because the body consumes it quickly.” 

In her turn, the head of the Department of Social Sciences, Dr. Moza Al-Dawi, spoke about anxiety during examinations, and said: “The student may feel anxious before the exam, which is a normal feeling, but if this feeling exceeds its normal limit and prevents the student from practicing his normal life, it becomes a mental illness, and it often leads to physical diseases” explaining that “The high level of anxiety is a negative thing.” Pointing out that some students enter the examination halls with yellow faces, obvious quivering and abnormal stillness. 

Moreover, Dr. Al-Dawi indicates that some of the factors that lead to pre-exam anxiety are the student’s lack of preparation for the exam, his insufficient knowledge of all the topics of the course, and having the wrong ideas and perceptions about the exam and its consequences, while the family may be a source of pre-exam anxiety through their excessive attention and exaggerated warnings from the exam, which increases anxiety and tension and forms a psychological barrier between the student and the exam. 

To prevent excessive anxiety Dr. Al-Dawi called students to always rely on the summaries they prepared in their way, to prepare well for the exam, focus on summarizing and study the courses at an appropriate time before the exam, ask students who have higher grades about the method used in studying and how to answer the questions, and to train well for the exam by putting a set of questions within the framework of the course they’re studying, which would reduce the severity of anxiety and dread.  

For her part, Dr. Fatima Al-Malki, Dean of Student Affairs, said that the Deanship has chosen “e-Learning, Opportunities and Challenges to Achieve Success” as a slogan for the event “Get Ready for Exams with Us” for this semester, stating that “The program aims to increase the level of confidence among students, prepare them healthily, psychologically and educationally to perform final exams, identify the correct ways of studying, and organize time and invest it in studying well.” 

She further stated that the program included four main sections: the mental health section, which includes skills to overcome exam anxiety, methods of overcoming psychological stress, and relaxation exercises. While the second section was the health care section, focusing on the importance of exercising during exams and the impact of healthy food during this period. Also, Specialist Nada Ebrahim from the Social Guidance Division explained the University’s rules and regulations for the examination period, and the experiences of distinguished students were presented in a special segment.