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Don't stress, it only hurts, advise CBSE ex-toppers

Stress, sleeplessness, anxiety are a few words that pop to the sound of the word 'examination'.

"Don't stress too much, it doesn't help in any way - it ONLY hurts", says Vineet J Nair, Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) grade 12 UAE topper in 2014 who secured 98.2 per cent in the science stream, from Delhi Private School Dubai.

Stress, sleeplessness, anxiety are a few words that pop to the sound of the word 'examination'. While some students say a little bit of stress is necessary, others affirm the need to play a sport, listen to music or even just watch TV to keep the exam stress at bay.

Amid all the dos and don'ts of this nerve-wracking phase, khaleejtimes.com speaks with a few students currently appearing for grade 10, grade 12 exams, and toppers of the grade 12 exams in the past years. And the question arises, which is more stressful - facing board exams or facing life after it?

Grade 12 toppers in UAE share tips and tricks to prepare for the upcoming exams

Vineet J Nair, from Delhi Private School Dubai topped the 2014 batch in the UAE scoring a fantastic 98.2 per cent in the science stream. Today he is pursuing a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering and Economics at UC Berkeley (2nd semester freshman).Right now I'm focusing on academics, extracurricular activities and plan on starting an on campus-job this semester. Another thing I hope to do while at Berkeley is engage in undergraduate research- a prospect I'm really excited for!

Akhilesh Mohan, from Abu Dhabi Indian High School topped the 2011 batch in the UAE scoring a record 98 per cent in the science stream. He currently pursuing the final year of the bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from National University of Singapore (NUS). I have always been very fond of Physics and Maths at school. I greatly realize the value of having your foundation or basics strong as it really helped me through my engineering degree in university. I think it's quite different once you're out of school - university teaches you to be independent and responsible.

All the best to students appearing for the grade 10 and 12 examinations and as grade 12 student Amrin Shanaz, The Central School, Dubai says, "Don't lose sight of the fact that there is life after exams. Things might seem extreme right now, but it won't last forever."

Last but not the least here's something to keep you going - "I failed in some subjects in exam, but my friend passed in all. Now he is an engineer in Microsoft and I am the owner of Microsoft." & Bill Gates

Here are opinions from students looking forward to the exams, and expert views from UAE toppers looking back at the same exams.

Grade 10 students advise :-

Grade 12 students advise:-

(With inputs from Anupam Varma, Lekshmy Pradeep and Nilanjana Gupta)

kymberlee@khaleejtimes.com