Can Easier Exams Fix India’s Coaching Culture?

For education counsellors:

Have rising academic pressures from high-stakes exams contributed to student anxiety and burnout? Could making exams easier really reduce stress, or will competition find new ways to resurface?

By- Ritika Gupta, CEO & Counselor, AAera Consultants

High-stakes exams such as the JEE and NEET have come to reflect all that is stressful and anxiety-inducing for students in India. The tremendous expectation to achieve ranks that will allow entrance into prestigious colleges has resulted in worrying levels of issues surrounding mental health. JEE applicants in 2024 are still fierce, and many students feel stuck in narratives of fear, fatigue, and self-doubt.

Easier examinations may reduce stress in the short term, but they don’t remedy the larger issue of the comparative nature of our culture and the lack of availability of seats in elite institutions. Even if the examination papers are made easier, we will simply find alternate ways to compete and face that stress elsewhere. The solution is to embed mental wellness and skill-based assessments in both educational centres and student assessment, facilitate more formative assessments, and include structured counselling support. Policymakers and other relevant stakeholders should also look to broaden experiences related to available mentorship and digital education options, particularly in rural regions. Real reform comes from valuing curiosity over competition — building nourished, resilient, and balanced learners, rather than students who pass exams.